Sweet, Twisted Love
by lynx4
Summary: What would happen if a wuss took a serious dose of Viagra? A ShinjiRei fic SWEAR!
1. Prologue

Sweet, Twisted Love  
  
Prologue  
  
It was a very stormy night.  
  
Rain pelted down towards the road as the thunder and lightning reigned kings in the sky. The strong wind swept through Tokyo 3 like a broom on a dusty plane. Everyone was in their homes, staring at the rage taking place outside, all but one.  
  
It was a woman.  
  
Yes, a woman. A woman was running through the wet streets like a rat scampering away from the cat chasing after it. No matter how hard the wind blew, she kept a firm hold unto her coat and the small paper bag she was holding during that time. Her head was already soaking wet as the storm was trying to penetrate through the thick coat she was wearing.  
  
But it seemed as if she couldn't care less.  
  
She continued to run through the streets with only the street lights to guide her way through the raging storm that night. It seemed that her life was a small price to pay for delivering whatever the contents of her small parcel. She thrusted her high-heels through puddle-after-puddle and heaved through pathways with very low visibility...  
  
But her cling to the parcel was far stronger than the storm she was fighting against. It seemed as if it was okay for her to get all soaked, as long as the small paper bag she had would stay dry.  
  
The storm watched the woman struggle against it. It tried to shoot her down with seemingly harmless raindrops falling at break-neck speed. But alas, she had succeeded and defeated her foe. She had reached her destination. It was an apartment.  
  
There she stood, right in front of her door. Happy. The woman showed an evil grin on her face, squeezed her purple hair and opened her door.  
  
"I'm Hoooooooooooooooooome!" The woman shouted, expecting hugs and kisses from the people who lived with her. She quickly went inside and took off her drenched coat and threw it with no regard for where it would fall. She continued inside and found a red-head sitting on the couch, watching television. The red-head noticed the entrance of the purple-head and acknowledged it.  
  
"Oh, it's you..."  
  
"Yep." The purple-head replied, carefully checking her prized-possession.  
  
"What's in the bag?"  
  
"None of your business."  
  
"Ah, fuck." The red-head scowled, returning to her previous activity.  
  
Meanwhile, the purple-head headed towards the ref and took out a Yebisu. From the door to the ref, she had kept that sinister smile she had since she first wore it. She chugged down the beverage with lightning speed, still wearing the smile. It was as if... she was planning something... (duuuuuuuhhhh...)  
  
Meanwhile still, her other companion in the apartment was in his room, listening to his SDAT. His body in this world while his mind was in his own parallel dimension of some sort. His thoughts and his emotions, sealed away in his secret lair. His thin body lay upon his bed, still wearing his school uniform.  
  
The red-head, on the other hand, was still watching the tv while all of this was taking place. She flipped through channels as she was trying to figure out what the purple-head brought in that small paper bag. She struggled with her assumptions and her knowledge about the purple head.  
  
"Knowing her, it must be something really nasty..."  
  
"BUT I WANNA KNOW WHAT THE HECK IT IS!!"  
  
In the kitchen, the purple-head was thinking as well. She stared at her package (the paper bag .) as she thought of something we do not yet know. She had this perplexed but in-control look on her face along with her evil grin. She giggled a bit here and there as she thought. After quite a while of thinking, she came to a compromise. And with that, she laughed out in utter madness...  
  
The guy, on the other-other hand, was still resting. His eyes closed in deep slumber as heavy-metal played loudly unto his ears. As he slept, one thing was in his mind, his dreams and his heart...  
  
"A...suka..." He whispered in his slumber... 


	2. Poison To The Heart

Chapter 1: Poison To The Heart  
  
"Bwahahahahahaha!"  
  
"Hey, cut it out! It's not funny!" Shinji retorted, blushing heavily.  
  
"I don't believe it! YOU of all people..."  
  
"Yeah, so what?"  
  
"Errrrrr... You DO know what you're saying... don't you?"  
  
"I know exactly what I'm saying!"  
  
"Really? Well then, good luck!"  
  
"For what?"  
  
"You're going after her, aren't you?"  
  
"Me? In my dreams... not a chance."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Look at her..." Shinji said, pointing Kaji to the direction of a certain female, sitting alone on one of the tables in HQ.  
  
"So..."  
  
"I can't explain the shit that happens to me when I try to talk to her."  
  
"No way." I've seen you handle her ego like no other."  
  
"Yeah, I pay a high price for that. My stomach knots up when I yell at her."  
  
"Wuss..."  
  
"Hey..."  
  
"Well, it's up to you, wuss." Kaji finished, leaving Shinji on his seat.  
  
It was around three on a Saturday afternoon when this all took place. Shinji had just told Kaji about the whispers in his sleep. And as usual, Kaji was going to tell Misato about this. Shinji knew this before- hand but figured he was really going to need some help if he was going to win the megalomaniac's heart.  
  
"I hope I know what I'm doing..." Shinji whispered to himself, getting up from his seat. With the red-head clueless about his plan to approach her, Shinji bravely took two steps in her direction. He placed her in his sights. It seemed his 'wussness' was wearing off. His heart pounded at the very thought of approaching her, but it seemed as if  
  
"Shit." He exclaimed after the third.  
  
"Errrr..." He added, feeling the cockroaches in his stomach.  
  
"Oooooohhhhh..." He grunted, trying to tame his anxiety.  
  
Three steps away...  
  
Two steps away...  
  
One step...  
  
"Awwwww... shit!" He cussed, turning his back.  
  
"What?" Her voice fired.  
  
"Huh?" He answered.  
  
"You were going to tell me something?"  
  
"Was I?"  
  
"Sheeeeesh, never mind. Get lost." Asuka finished, fixing her sight away from Shinji.  
  
"Fine... madam." Shinji responded, walking away. He placed both hands in his pockets and walked away. Like the wuss he was, he shuddered and sobbed as he put distance between himself and the woman he wanted to be with at that time.  
  
As he got home, he went straight for his room, seeking the refuge of his SDAT. He quickly jumped unto his bed, plugged the phones into his ears, and turned the volume to MAX. His mixed thoughts were now unified in his sorrow. He could only think of Asuka, and how she would be so mean to him. It always seemed to bother him. The way he would wuss out when it came to things like those. He pulled his blanket over his head like a little child protecting himself from the monsters under his bed. He closed his eyes tight and mentally yelled at himself. He sulked in his misery and wallowed in his sorrow.  
  
"Shit..." He whispered as he wiped off on of his tears. He curled up under his blanket to make himself feel pampered. He sighed and tried not to think about the foul-up that had just taken place.  
  
"Wuss..." He said to himself, feeling more self-pity.  
  
It was then that a storm took place. The same storm I had mentioned earlier. The rain started to pour along with his tears. His hopes went down with a force stronger than that of the lightning. While he was asleep, Asuka came home five minutes into the storm.  
  
"Hmmm...no one's here yet." Asuka figured. She took off her coat and placed it on the coat-hanger. She gave out a stretch and yawned, then scratched her butt. Like the slob she was at home, she got herself a Yebisu and sat herself in front of the TV.  
  
After about an hour, Misato had arrived, package in hand and evil smile on face. She went on to the kitchen, dodging Asuka's inquisitions and getting herself a Yebisu. Her fingers trembles as she opened her can, as if she couldn't wait to put whatever she was thinking into plan.  
  
"Shit..." She whispered to herself in glee.  
  
"Just you wait, you wuss..." The purple-head said, scratching her butt.  
  
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!" The woman's voice bellowed, accompanying the lightning. Her screams would clash upon Asuka's eardrums the way the lightning would rip through a tree then cutting it in half then leaving it in flames.  
  
"Whatever it is, someone is going to get hurt." Asuka said, sulking I her jealousy.  
  
--------------meanwhile----------------  
  
The storm was ravaging through the city streets while Misato ravaged through the kitchen, looking for a clean glass. She searched the cupboards and the ref and the dining table an everywhere else she could think of. It took her quite a while to find what she was looking for.  
  
"Aha!" She shouted in victory, holding a glass in her hand. She looked at it with an evil grin.  
  
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" The witch laughed again, causing another lightning bolt to dart toward the ground. With each ear-breaking laugh, the sky would light-up for a split-second, scaring all those who were not asleep in the witch's apartment.  
  
"Perfect..." Misato said to herself, washing the glass carefully. After drying it, she took out a pitcher of water...  
  
"OOOOOHOhOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!!!"  
  
And as she started laughing, lightning stroke yet again.  
  
Her hands were uncontrollably shaking as she poured water into the glass. Her eyes were burning with evil as she watched the clear liquid flow into the glass wherein her evil shall spawn from and bring doom and chaos for whoever it was meant for (We don't know it yet... . )  
It was then she carefully took out her package. The package that she had guarded with her life during her retreat from the storm. She held the package close to her heart as she moved it's location from table-to-table. She opened the paper-bag with utmost care. She then put her hand inside the bag. She carefully moved her hand inside the bag, scanning for what was inside. After a few seconds, her hand felt something. She grinned and quickly pulled out her hand without care.  
  
"OOOOOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!"  
  
And with another lightning clash, she raised a packet of pills in her hand.  
  
"AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"  
  
KrOOOOOSH...  
  
"WAHAHAHAHAYAHAHAAHAHAHAHa!!!!"  
  
DISSSSSHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  
  
The witch's horrendous screams perfectly complimented the lightning's threatening flashes. It was the perfect picture of evil at its finest hour.  
  
Without wasting another moment, she quickly threw away the empty paper bag she protected so well. She carefully took out one blue pill. She placed it on her palm and stared at it for a while, as if transferring some of her evil to the small pharmaceutical wonder she held in the palm of her hand.  
She dropped the pill into the glass of water...  
  
"WAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!"  
  
KROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM  
  
She danced around the glass in utter madness while singing the phrase...  
  
"The wuss shall not fail..."  
She danced around the glass fro a while as she waited for the pill to dissolve and make the water clear once again. As soon as the water was clear...  
  
"OOOOOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOO"  
  
You know what happens next...  
  
And it was complete. Her finest work ever. The result of the combination of the lascivious mind of Kaji and the natural evil of Misato, all compressed into one glass of water meant for...  
  
"Shinji......." The witch called, as if calling to a guinea pig. She searched the halls for the boy while Asuka was containing her anxiety in front of the television. Each step Misato made grew wider and wider with the thought of not wasting time and the potency of what she held in her hands. She quietly opened the door to his room, nothing but evil thoughts flowing in her mind.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
toing...  
  
Her stealth was not so effective. Her prey had noticed she was in his presence. She quickly went into a not so suspicious standing position from her 'crawling silent worm' maneuver.  
  
"Just brought you a drink."  
  
"You?"  
  
At the first hint of suspicion, the witch pulled her guilt look on the shrewd boy.  
  
"How can you say that? I'm you're auntie Misato!" She said, teary eyes and all. She then intentionally fell to the floor crying.  
  
"Awwww, you're making a mess out of my room!" The boy complained, getting up from his lying position.  
"Can't I just be a big sister to you and get you a drink?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"WHY?! WHY OH WHY?!" The witch howled in sorrow. The rain weakened as the witch's spirit lost life. The thunder stopped when her laughing did.  
  
"Kaji told me your problem."  
  
"He did."  
  
"And I feel so sorry because I can't help you..."  
  
"Tell me another one..."  
  
"Why don't you believe me?"  
  
"That's asking a lot."  
  
The place then stayed silent. Misato just looked Shinji in the eye, firing missiles of guilt at him. Shinji looked deeply into them, trying to read what evil she had planned for him. He then looked at the glass of water Misato brought.  
  
"What it that?" Shinji asked.  
  
"What else? Water to ease your pain."  
  
"Water, huh?!"  
  
"Yes! Water!"  
  
"Drink it."  
  
"What?" Misato said in shock. It was a sight to see. Shinji actually cornered Misato. Sweating profusely, she quickly tried to think of an escape. She stayed silent for a while.  
  
"Well."  
She got up. Glass in hand.  
  
Without a second thought...  
  
She drank one-fourth of the drink. Each gulp Shinji followed as he watched Misato's neck move as she swallowed the evil she had created. They stayed silent as Shinji waited for something to explode or implode or sparkle or anything bad to happen...  
  
"See?"  
  
Shinji still hesitated. But after seeing what his 'auntie' did...  
  
"Ok. I'll drink it." 


	3. The Venom Of A Horny Snake

Chapter 2: The Venom Of A Horny Snake  
  
Misato watched in glee as she watched Shinji take down the liquid. Her eyes followed the movements of his throat as he transferred the contents of the drink to his system. Her smile was so obvious but Shinji was oblivious of the mischief he was partaking into.  
  
"Finished." Shinji said, wiping his mouth clean with the back of his palms. He then stared at Misato, who was still affixed at his throat.  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
Misato couldn't answer. Her whole body seemed frozen according to Shinji. Shivers started to go through Shinji's spine as he watched the seemingly lifeless form that stood silent in front of him.  
  
"Errrr... auntie?" He called, expecting it to be a prank. His fear materializing in his thoughts...  
  
"WHAT DID YOU PUT IN THIS DRINK?!" The guy yelled. He dashed towards the mannequin and vigorously shook her like a salt-shaker. The fear was so visible through his eyes and he would not stand to suffer the same fate the evil witch had.  
  
"WHAT?! TELL ME?!" He screamed, now strangling Misato. His fears grew stronger as he watched a succession of colors coming from the face of the one he was trying to kill.  
  
"C-c-c-"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"C-c-can-"  
  
"CANNNNNNNN?"  
  
"C-c-can't-b-b-b-b-"  
  
"CAN'T WHAT??!!!" The boy shouted, tightening his grasp.  
  
"C-c-can't-b-b-b-breathe-h-h-h-h-help-"  
  
Shinji quickly let go and took a few steps back and bumped his wall, causing him to fall to the floor. He silently watched the horror taking place in front of him. Misato was standing still once more.  
  
It was then that Asuka reached her limit...  
  
"AAAARRRCCCHHH!!!" She shouted, rushing to where the disturbing but greatly intriguing noise was. She rushed to Shinji's room, expecting nothing but fun.  
  
"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S NOT MY FUCKIN' BUSINESS! I WANT IN ON THIS SHIT WHATEVER IT IS!" She screamed, kicking the door open.  
  
"Woah!" She said, finding a frozen Misato and a frightened little Shinji. Misato was holding her neck, gasping for some air. Asuka jumped back in shock, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. Her brows twitched at the sight she was beholding.  
  
"Fuck..." She exclaimed, staring at the statue in Shinji's room.  
  
They remained that way for a few minutes. Shinji's skin grew white and all his hair stood up (literally) while he waited for himself to freeze up as well. He was counting down his last second of free will when something fell.  
  
Misato.  
  
Her figure now lay still on the floor. It caught Shinji's attention for a while. Asuka was now fixated on Shinji. She saw the eminent fear in his eyes. She knew from that that something bad had really happened.  
  
"AWWW! FUCK YOU GUYS! YOU HAVE ALL THE FUN!" She shouted, temporarily getting Shinji's attention this time. After that she angrily left the room in a hurry to get back to the TV and her Yebisu.  
  
Then the place was silent once more. Shinji was still frozen in fear in his corner while Misato was frozen by whatever it was on the floor.  
  
Shinji had counted up to a hundred when he screamed and got up all of a sudden.  
  
"A-a-a-are y-y-y-you a-a-a-a-a-allright?" He asked, stuttering heavily. His eyes widened as Misato got up, trying to regain her balance. He anticipated the worst as he saw Misato up on her feet again.  
  
Sigh  
  
"What?" He asked, hearing something from the still figure.  
  
"I-I-I'm alright, thank you." Misato finally said, trying to move her feet. Shinji was still watching in horror as Misato started walking towards the door. She was still having slight difficulty that was slowly vanishing. After a few step, she had regained her foxy posture.  
  
"I'm alright. I was just kidding you. I'm glad you drank the water." Misato said, emotionless. Shinji could not see her face as she turned her back. She normally left the room, leaving a stunned (not shocked) Shinji.  
  
"What just happened?" He asked himself, staring at his room. After a few minutes of being blank, he went back to bed. He turned the SDAT's volume to max to forget the mess that happened a while ago.  
It took only a while for Shinji to forget what happened because it also took the same time for him to fall asleep. His sub-consciousness was now in Asuka-land once again and Asuka was in front of the tube and Misato...  
  
"Shit..." She said, closing the door of her room. It seemed as if the drug was only taking effect that time. She placed her hand on her forehead, feeling her temperature. She felt hot all of a sudden. It was not hot as in fever-hot. It was hot in a 'hot' kind of way (If you know what I'm talking about) .  
  
Let us leave the room because I think I mis-rated my fic....  
  
-------meanwhile--------  
  
Asuka was still in front of the tube. It was sometime late in the evening. She had no idea of the time because she was watching a Beavis and Butthead marathon (no wonder). Shinji was in his room, sleeping. Misato was in her room, doing who-knows-what. Asuka was wide-awake but numb to the place. It was already eleven when she noticed that she had finished her fifth can.  
  
"Aw shit..." She said, her vision was getting a bit blurry. Compared to Misato at that time, Asuka was miles away from being 'high'. Asuka's thinking was still in-tact, she was just a bit shaken.  
  
"Hmmm... the wuss is asleep. The witch is asleep too, that means her package is still in the kitchen. This only means one thing..."  
  
"I CAN WATCH PORN!" She said to herself in glee. She rushed to kitchen to get herself another Yebisu when she saw something shine in the dark.  
  
"Wassat?" She asked herself, turning on the light in the kitchen. She forgot all about her porn escapade as she started investigating the kitchen.  
  
"what was that?" She said, looking at the counter. She ran her hands through the tiled surface, hoping her fingers might touch something that wasn't a can.  
She had covered one-half of the counter when she hit something she hadn't hit before.  
  
"It's something small..." She told herself, picking it up. Her sight was a bit dim, so she held it against the light. She observed the small packet she had just found and tried to read the words printed on it.  
  
"Buh-"  
  
"Buuuuuuhhhh-"  
  
"What is this? Buuuuuhhhhhhh-"  
  
"Shit." She exclaimed, finding out something she didn't want to know.  
  
"I gotta go!" She exclaimed again, rushing towards the bathroom.  
  
After half-an-hour, she went out satisfied and determined to know what was that which she was checking out a while ago.  
She picked up the packet she dropped again and held it again against the light. She concentrated all her sane abilities into reading it.  
  
"Buuuuuhhhhhh-"  
  
"Buuuhhhhyyyyaaaaaaa-"  
  
BLAG  
  
Asuka dropped to the kitchen floor unconscious. Something had hit her on the head. Not to kill, but to put asleep. A naked figure was standing next to Asuka's body. It was a woman holding a burnt frying pan. The woman had very, very, very wet fingers as she held the frying pan.  
  
"Silly girl. Don't you know it's wrong to read other people's medicine?" The woman said, giving a familiar evil grin. She dropped her frying pan and picked up the packet that was in Asuka's hands.  
  
"You're desperate, aren't you? Don't worry, you'll have a part in this 'experiment'." The naked woman said, walking away with a small packet of blue pills. She stopped by the doorway, took one look at the unconscious Asuka, flung her purple hair and left with a small packet of Viagra clasped in her very wet hends.  
  
End of chapter 2  
  
Reviewer's note:  
Errr... I seem to have given the wrong rating for my fic because this seems to be a bit r18 fic, please don't complain about it. I'll fix this problem, PROMISE! Feel free to mock of praise this fic of mine, this is my second fic and I'm really a beginner at this so I'm apologizing in advance if you find this fanfiction amusingly lame for you. Thanx for all the reviews! 


	4. The Venom Takes Effect

Chapter 3: The Venom Takes Effect  
  
It was during Shinji's slumber that the drug took effect on his poor body. His dreams were the first to be disrupted. His thoughts were messed up as he slept his sanity slowly deteriorating as he snored.  
  
"Haaaaah..." He gasped, trying to cover his face with his hands as his madness starting to take over. It was clearly obvious that the drug had awaken him.  
  
"Haaaah, haaaahhh HAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" He screamed as he felt the insanely awkward sensations he was experiencing. His eyes widened as he curled up into a ball. Hot sensations shot through his boy as he tried to discard them in utter madness. His eyes were burning with a different madness as he struggled to contain what the heck he was feeling. What started to be a safe dream turned to be a mad nightmare...  
  
"YEEEEEAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!"  
  
He got up, screamed some more then started squirming on his bed like a decapitated cockroach. The veins were now showing on his hands as he unconsciously tightened the grip he had on his own head. The veins on his face were also showing, containing the venom now circulating through his helpless body. His breathing was now shallow as he struggled for breath while fighting the heat he was now feeling.  
  
"HHHHAAAAAAAAHHHHHH WHHAAAT IIISSSSS THISSSSSSS!?!?!?!?" He screamed, rolling on his bed over and over in countless circles.  
  
He was now losing to the drug. His physique was giving in to the heat. Each shot of heat would sear through his whole system like an arrow splitting another arrow in the bulls eye. Each sensation he felt grew more and more unbearable and uncontrollable. He was growing weak...  
  
"Haaaaaaahhhh..." He now sighed, losing strength. His grip was loosening and his teeth were not so gritting against each other. He regained his breathing. His somewhat 'epileptic' episodes were now seizing. His seizures were coming to a halt. He could feel his body sinking into the drug's effect. He was again feeling sleepy. He tried to fight but he couldn't feel his body any longer. He tried to move but he could only close his eyes...  
  
And so he did...  
  
He woke up early in the morning as he usually would. It was a Sunday morning, and all was fine, at least.  
  
"Haaaaaahhh..." He sighed, holding his chest. He looked around and remembered the madness that happened to him during the night. He tried to explain to himself what happened to him.  
  
"What was that?" He asked, getting up.  
  
"Shit." He exclaimed, feeling some newfound strength. He looked at his arms, then his chest then his thighs.  
  
"Awwww..." He said, seeing them the same as they were. He looked in a mirror and took a good look at himself. It was still the same. His thin shape was still there. He frowned, but still he was feeling something different with him. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. He felt so brand new.  
  
"I feel... good..." He said to himself, smiling in front of the mirror. He took a look at his clock.  
  
"Five." He said, acknowledging the info. He left his room to prepare breakfast. With each step he took, he felt more and more...  
  
"Manly..." He exclaimed, feeling a rush of hormones in his body. It felt as if he could do anything.  
  
"Ask her out."  
  
"Woah... Did I just say that?"  
  
"Shit..." He exclaimed once more, enjoying this 'high' he was feeling. He entered the kitchen with much enthusiasm. He strolled right in singing...  
  
"Ohhhh... Asuuuuuuu-KAAAAAA!!!!" He suddenly screamed, finding the girl of his dreams lying on the kitchen floor. At that moment, thoughts fired up...  
  
(She's there, unconscious)  
  
(She must have been like that for hours)  
  
(She probably will forget anything that's going to happen to her now)  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
"Shit." He said, dropping his jaw. He knelt down and drew close to her. He could feel her soft skin as he lifted her in his small arms. He stared at her face and felt her warm breath splash unto his red face.  
  
(Beautiful...)  
  
He caressed her face and ran his fingers through her hair. At that moment, mixed signals were flinging around in his system, telling him to do things he never would have imagined without Misato's prompting.  
  
Speaking of which, she had just woken up at that time. Still groggy, she got up from bed to get herself a can of heaven. Her steps were loud but not loud enough to catch Shinji's ears.  
  
"What to do?" He asked himself, trying to find a reasonable plan.  
  
(ARE YOU THAT STUPID?!?! KISS HER!!!!)  
  
"NO! She wouldn't want that!"  
  
(But you would)  
  
"Yeah-but"  
  
(But what?)  
  
He was now sweating profusely. His arms were now starting to shake as he held her in his arms.  
  
"So cute..." He said, wiping her saliva off her mouth.  
  
"Shit!" He exclaimed once more, feeling the high he felt a while ago. His eyes changed and gave out a different color. They turned somewhat 'blue'. His 'manliness' was then starting to take over.  
  
"Argh!" He said, feeling what he felt last night. It was stronger, but he was in control now. The drug was taking effect once more, but it was unknown to him. He felt the sensations passing through him. He was feeling hot, but not the kind of hot that Misato felt. He knew what it was. His emotions complimented the drug. He felt braver and more passionate. His 'wussness' was fading.  
  
"Oh shit..." Misato said to herself, finding the scene. She quickly hid as she watched her experiment.  
  
"Man, I am going to love this!" She whispered in glee. Her heart was racing as she watched Shinji look into Asuka's face. Misato saw a large amount of courage as she looked at Shinji's eyes. Never had she seen so much passion coming from him. It was the first time she saw real 'manliness' coming from the wuss.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked herself, waiting for Shinji to rip Asuka's clothes off.  
  
"Idiot! I gave you Viagra and for what?" She scowled. Her eyes widened as she watched Shinji.  
  
"It feels strange, but right. For so long I have been wanting to tell you how much you meant to me, but my wussness takes over me. My heart has been aching with these unsaid emotions for so long...  
  
"That's not supposed to happen!!!!! You're supposed to be ------------ - her!"  
  
"With this newfound strength I shall express to you how I feel some other appropriate time."  
  
And with that, he did the unthinkable.  
  
SLAP  
  
"AAAWWWWWWW!!!!" The red-head screamed.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The purple head screamed.  
  
"Wake up! You were sleeping on the floor!' Shinji shouted, shaking Asuka. The red head then quickly responded.  
  
SLAP  
  
"AAAAWWWWWwW!!!!" The guy exclaimed.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The purple-head exclaimed yet again.  
  
"Geees, you're welcome."  
  
"Welcome my ass..." Asuka backfired, getting up and dusting herself.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be cooking breakfast?!"  
  
"Alright, alright already..." Shinji said, putting on his apron. He headed for the ref when he suddenly stumbled on something.  
  
"Awwwwwwwwww..." He exclaimed, finding that he had tripped over Misato.  
  
"What are you doing there... HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?!"  
  
"Just got here." Misato answered, getting up and scratching her butt, trying to look as normal as possible. She was back to normal. The drug did not have much of an effect on Misato since she only drank one-fourth of it.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for?! Start cooking!" Misato yelled, spanking Shinji in the direction of the ref.  
  
"Geeez, are all of you that hungry?" He said with such sarcasm. He did as he was told and sang while he was at it. Asuka went back in front of the TV, trying to figure out why she had been lying on the floor and how long she had been like that.  
  
"Let me try..." She said, scratching her head.  
  
"I was a bit drunk last night."  
  
"So I decided to get myself another drink. Then I..."  
  
"Yeah! I saw something and tried to know what it was then I took a crap then-"  
  
BLAG  
  
Down she went again. And as suspected, Misato had done it. With a book this time and she was wearing clothes now. She looked at Asuka and giggled.  
  
"Please don't make me do this again." She pleaded, dropping the book and sitting next to her. She turned on the TV while she tried to analyze the results of her experiment.  
  
"I'm sure I gave him what I took." She said to herself, tracing down the facts.  
  
"I saw him drink it and finish it up." She added, placing her fingers on her chin and stroking her imaginary beard.  
  
"Hmmmm..."  
  
"There is no doubt a result... I just don't know what it is."  
  
"He was acting weird when I watched him. The dope would never be that sweet, he's a wuss for crying out loud." She exclaimed, staring at the ceiling. She then scratched her head again.  
  
"Wait a sec— I got it!" She said, jumping up from her seat.  
  
"What did you get?"  
  
"WAAAH!" Misato shrieked, obviously startled by Asuka's sudden inquisition and revival.  
  
"By the way, what happened to me?" The red-head asked. Asuka threw a threatening look of suspicion unto Misato's face, which she undeniably noticed. Misato started to sweat heavily as she tried to figure an escape from this predicament. She lay silent for a few seconds with Asuka melting her with her 'truth ray' until she found a way out.  
  
"You... bumped your head."  
  
(Am I good or what?)  
  
"Bumped my head on what?"  
  
(I take that back)  
  
"Well---- How should I know?!"  
  
(hehehehe... nice save!)  
  
"You answered my first question..."  
  
(Oh Shit! She reads me like a book)  
  
"You know what? Forget it! I mean, why am I even trying to find a truthful answer from you?! Uhhhhhh..." Asuka scowled, leaving Misato. The purple-head watched as her hunter left her in front of the tube.  
  
(My charm has saved my sexy butt once more! Wahahahaha!)  
  
"Hmmmmm... I must further observe..." She said with resolve, getting up and heading for the kitchen for an interesting breakfast.  
  
The three of them sat down and said their grace. Misato had her eye glued on Shinji while Asuka had her eye on Misato and Shinji had his eye on his food.  
  
(AHA! Why is he not looking at Asuka?) Misato asked herself, continuing to observe. She placed each mouthful of food into her mouth with relative care the way she would look away when Shinji would look at her.  
  
(Something is making my head think and it's not the bump on it!) Asuka mentally complained, looking for anything suspicious from Misato's actions.  
  
(She seems... normal) She noted, chewing her food.  
  
"So..."  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
Shinji was startled by the reaction of the two to his question. He jumped back and took a good look at the two, retaining a manly posture.  
  
"How is it?"  
  
"The what?" the two said in perfect harmony.  
  
"Uhhhhh... breakfast."  
  
"Good, now mind your own business."  
  
"Ok..." Shinji receded, going back to his meal.  
  
(His posture, the way he eats his food. It's DIFFERENT) Misato thought, as she looked at Shinji put in some bacon in his mouth. Misato had noticed the change of Shinji's 'aura'. Basically, Misato would see a shy dope stealing glances at Asuka if he was normal. But now she only sees him looking at his food and being as careful as possible not to make a mess.  
  
(He seems more cultured now. For some reason, I think the drug had a different effect on him. I must take note of this.)  
  
(She's looking at Shinji... what does that mean? Misato must have something in mind)  
  
(They are both thinking of something, what the heck is it?)  
  
"All done?!" Asuka shouted, getting up from the table. She started walking away from the room when someone spoke.  
  
"Would you like to have a drink?"  
  
(WHAT?!) Misato said in shock, watching Shinji get up from his seat to make Asuka a glass of OJ.  
  
"What?"  
  
"A drink. You just ate, you will need something to push it all the way down."  
  
"..."  
  
"Fine." Asuka said, watching Shinji prepare the drink. He poured in the water with the utmost care and grace without a drop spilled. His hand was so steady and his eyes still had that glow of manliness within them. He then stirred the drink. Everything about him was different and Asuka wasn't giving a damn about it.  
  
(He did take the drug, but the effect on him was different) Misato noted, finishing her observation and putting a smile on her face. By the time Shinji had given the drink to Asuka, Misato had already figured a way to put her plan into action.  
  
"Here you are." Shinji said, handing the glass to Asuka. It was only then that Asuka sensed something new about him. She took a good look at him.  
  
"He looks the same." She said, after checking him out. When her eyes looked into his...  
  
(Woah)  
  
It was as if something shot right through her. His eyes pierced right through her and she felt every bit of it. She sensed a deep thought within him that she doesn't know. It seemed as if Shinji's eyes wanted to let her know how much he felt for her. His eyes had the look of concern, sincerity, gentleness and a whole lot of things a wuss wasn't.  
  
"Is there something in my eye?" Shinji asked, giving Asuka a perplexed look.  
  
"No, nothing..." Asuka said. At that time, she thought of mocking him. She then opened her mouth to say something about him but...  
  
"You have something to say?" Shinji asked, cutting her off. It wasn't the first time Shinji had cut her off, but if was the first time he out a clog in her mouth. Stunned, she took notice of Shinji's newfound esteem. It seemed to heras if he was loosing his 'wussness'.  
  
"Did you eat anything funny today?"  
  
"No. Why do you ask?" Shinji asked. With each question, Asuka found it harder and harder for it to find something wrong with him.  
  
"I-I'm going out." She retorted, heading for the door. As soon as she turned her back and started walking, the unthinkable took place. Misato, by the way, was watching everything from a safe hiding place.  
  
"Wait." Shinji said, taking a hold of Asuka's hand.  
  
(Shit)  
  
His hand was warm, according to Asuka. It was the very first time he held Asuka's hand. His grip was gentle, and Asuka knew it. At that very moment, she was now at a total loss of anything to do. It was completely unexpected. Before, it was her who would leave him nothing to say. Now, it was him who was leaving her without a word to say. The grab was so sudden yet so gentle Asuka didn't know how to react to it. Usually, she would swing her fist or anything to hit him. But this time, she was clueless and off-guard. Mixed thoughts then started to pop in her mind. Her heart started to beat faster and so did her breathing. All this was going too fast.  
  
(What the fuck is going on?)  
  
Her tensions were so great at that time, great enough to make her faint. Shinji's warm hand soothed her tensions although. Her usual meanness sandwiched her against Shinji's sudden yet gentle boldness. It was all too much for her.  
  
Misato, on the other hand, stumbled on herself in excitement.  
  
"Shit! This IS the effect! Now I understand..." Misato said to herself, quietly snapping her fingers.  
  
"I am normal, thus the normal effect of the drug on me. But Shinji here..."  
  
(HE'S TOO MUCH OF A WUSS FOR VIAGRA! WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!)  
  
"His wussness was too much for the pill so it just neutralized the wussness and..."  
  
(TURNED HIM INTO A TOTAL GENTLEMAN!! WAHAHAHAHAHA!!! KAJI YOU'RE A STINKING GENIUS!!!!!!) Misato thought to herself in utter happiness. She smiled that evil smile once more while keeping an eye on the two who had no idea she was there, watching.  
  
"Asuka..." Shinji said, giving her hand a light tug, making her turn around.  
  
"W-what?" Asuka said, still at a loss of words. She took another look at Shinji. He still looked the same.  
  
"For so long I have been wanting to tell you this..." Shinji said, now staring at Asuka. This in turn, had a larger effect on her. He looked her straight in the eye as he spoke in a tone that was totally new to her. He was so gentle yet serious.  
  
"I..."  
  
(Shit)  
  
(Good)  
  
"Love you."  
  
End of Chapter 3 


	5. Once A Wuss, Always A Wuss?

Chapter 4: Once A Wuss Always A Wuss?  
  
The apartment was silent. The three people in it were silent as well. The final words had been spoken... or have they?  
  
"..."  
  
The two stayed still. Asuka stood silent as Shinji was still holding her hand. Every single uncontrollable thought within the red-head's mind seemed to have been cleared. Her face remained shadowed in front of Shinji.  
  
(She isn't talking) Shinji thought to himself. His calm heart now started to race. His mind was filled with thoughts that he tried to put aside for a while.  
  
"Why isn't she talking?"  
  
"Why can't I see her face...?"  
  
"What am I going to do now?"  
  
"I hear someone at the back... who is it?"  
  
(Oh Shit!) Misato thought, noticing Shinji turn his back. She quickly hid herself until she couldn't even see what was happening. Shinji moved his eye around his surroundings, trying to look for something purple. After a few seconds of looking, he remembered what he just did.  
  
"So..." He said, looking deeper into her face. His tension grew more and more unbearable as he expected a reply from the red-head. His emotions were now mixed in a perfect swirl of beautiful chaos. It was true that he lost his wussness but it was still his first time to confess to a girl.  
  
"..."  
  
"Well... Errrr..." He continued, hoping to see a smile or anything.  
  
"..."  
  
"Say something..." He suddenly prompted, slowly tightening the grip he had on Asuka's hand. He was now feeling something bad coming up. He tried to get a clear look at the red-head's face... As he drew closer...  
  
"Hhhh..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"HhhhhhhAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"  
  
"OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO!!!"  
  
It shocked him, but he suddenly recovered and watched the madness in front of him. Shinji stood still as Asuka was laughing her guts out in utter madness. It wasn't the first time he saw her laugh like that, but it was the first time he saw her laugh like that because of that.  
  
"Why are you laughing?"  
  
"Let GO of me!" She yelled, swinging her arm off from Shinji's gentle grasp. This action stunned Shinji most of all. She took a few steps back to uncover her shadowed face. Her eyes were gleaming with a lot of emotions and Shinji saw every one of them.  
  
"Did you actually think you could sway me to be yours?"  
  
"Huh?" Shinji said, feeling his castle tumble down.  
  
"LISTEN! I would never ever think of having any other feeling than DISGUST AND CONTEMPT for you!!!!" She yelled, flaring eyes. It was her finest hour. Pure anger and hatred put into words. The pure and undiluted pride of Asuka, raw and conceited. She lost all sanity as she ripped through the man in front of her. Her eyes shot through him like the way an AK-47 would shred through a piece of tissue paper. The force was too strong Shinji was stunned and paralyzed although he could still hear everything.  
  
"You could never hope to be at par with me! I am more than you and you should remember that! I will never be yours because you Are IKARI SHINJI AND NO MATTER HOW MATURE YOU BECOME, I WILL NEVER LIKE YOU BECAUSE..."  
  
"..." Shinji's face was now shadowed. Nothing could be seen from his expressionless figure.  
  
"Woooaaahhh, talk about self-centered." Misato said, still hiding.  
  
"ONCE A WUSS ALWAYS A WUSS!!!"  
  
SLAP  
  
And the drug wore off.  
  
He was still conscious of what was happening. He was still receiving what was being shoved up his ass. His system was again back to normal, but his heart was no longer. The only thing he did was clench his fist.  
  
"Listen up, wuss..." Asuka ordered, pointing the 'finger' at Shinji.  
  
"I DETEST A WUSS. I WILL NEVER LIKE MUCH MORE LOVE ONE! I SPIT ON YOU IN MY SLEEP AND I WOULD GLADLY DO IT AWAKE!"  
  
And so she did.  
  
Hours had passed since Asuka left the apartment wherever she went. Shinji was still standing with his fists. Misato was still as she was still hiding, analyzing what just happened. She knew Asuka wasn't fond of him, but she didn't know she would spit on the guy. She also didn't know that Shinji oved her so much that he hadn't wiped the spit on his face. She watched the sullen figure regain his breath after a few hours of standing. Once she saw that Shinji was back on Earth, she got up.  
  
"Shhh..." She stuttered, trying to find something to ease his pain. She tried to approach him but he cut her off-  
  
"Can I... have a glass of water?"  
  
Misato then rushed to him, then she hugged him from his back.  
  
"Shhhhh... it's alright." She whispered In his ear, hugging him even tighter in an effort to stop the tears from falling down. She felt so responsible for what happened. She knew the immense pain Shinji was now feeling and it was all because of her. She whispered thoughts of concern and reassurance in his ears.  
  
"It's Okay..." She said, listening to him cry as the two of them stood. They stayed like that for a while, until Shinji regained his breath. She then turned him to face her...  
  
"Let me get you something to drink, Okay?" Misato said sweetly, rushing to the kitchen. She quickly looked for a glass and for her package.  
  
(She must pay...) Misato thought, finding one. She quickly poured some water in it as she prayed Shinji won't commit suicide. Her hands were shaking as she was performing the task. She had mixed emotions about what happened too. Guilt, Sorrow, Anger and so much more.  
  
"Just wait there." Misato called, hoping for an answer.  
  
...  
  
Shivers ran through her spine as she was opening the packet. It was that very thought of seeing Shinji hang himself that made Misato do the unthinkable.  
"Oh, shit..." She said, stunned. Her jaw dropped as she just watched all the pills accidentally spill into the drink. She watched in horror as the pills dissolve and the water started to clarify. Horrendous thoughts poured into her mind. She was so caught up in the accident she forgot the guy she left.  
  
"Shit." She said once more, totally entering paralysis as the water was clear again.  
  
"Hey..."  
  
(Shit)  
  
"Is that my water? Thanks..."  
  
(Shit)  
  
Her tongue dropped out of her mouth as she watched in more horror. Her eyes were glued upon the action happening in front of her.  
  
(Shit)  
  
"Thanks, I'm going to my room now." The sad guy said, oblivious to what he did. He then left the room scratching his butt while he was trying to stay happy. He left a stunned purple-head in the kitchen. Misato had only one thing to say...  
  
"Shit.'  
  
End of chapter 4 


	6. The Birth Of A Hero?

Chapter 5: The Birth Of A Hero?  
  
Sorrow and despair gave him company.  
  
"Failure."  
  
His greif was eating him alive.  
  
"Wuss."  
  
Nothing else was on his mind.  
  
"Asuka."  
  
He wallowed with all his heart. The sighs of a thousand years let out in a single afternoon.  
  
"What went wrong?"  
  
"Wasn't I sweet enough?"  
  
"Wasn't I man enough?" He asked himself, slapping his face. HE then covered himself with his blanket and curled up. Nothing else was on his mind but the red-head.  
  
"Her eyes were even red." He said to himself, remembering the harshness he experienced.  
  
"I..."  
  
"...never knew..."  
  
"Why? Why does she hate me so?"  
  
Tears began to roll down his face along with the sudden drizzle that took place that same time.  
  
"I think you need some time-out." Misato said, locking the doo and hoping for a storm. Her hands slid down from the doorknob to her side as she recalled the mess that had just happened. Reason after reason she gave herself in an effort to make sense about it.  
  
"How could she?"  
  
"She knew how delicate he was..."  
  
"It was like she didn't know him."  
  
"She just stepped on him like a bug."  
  
"Moreover..."  
  
"What's going to happen to him?" She asked, looking at an empty pill packet that could hold ten pills.  
  
Meanwhile, he still lay on his bed, trying to forget.  
  
"Why?" Another whisper left unasnwered. Sigh after sigh he would roll over, making him sigh once more. Each sigh would bring back a phrase in his memory  
  
"Contempt... Disgust..." He mumbled, biting his lip.  
  
Then it began to swallow him.  
  
"I,I,I I made her some juice!"  
  
"I-I-I woke her up?!"  
  
Why?!" His voiced raised. He placed his hands on his cheeks and rolled over. With each question his stress was multiplied tenfold. He rolled over and over, repeating his questions. Soon, he was squirming on his bed like a blinded owl. He was loosing control as his body stretched then curled in rapid succession. He grinded his teeth in his starting madness.  
  
"WHY!?" He screamed, jumping up from his bed.His rage filled the room as he swept his desks clean of anything on it. He threw away his SDAT and made sure it hit the wall hard.  
  
"NOOOOO!!!!" He yelled, punching the wall with utter disregard for his weak fists. His eyes grew red as the drug was starting to take effect on him. The dose was much stronger thus the horrendous effect.  
  
"RAAAAAGHHH"  
  
He had forgotten his depression and entered fit after fit of madness trying to suppress himself.  
  
"AAAAAHHHH!!!!!" He would scream as he felt each burning sensation sear right through him. He felt blast after blast go through him. It was evidently driving him up the wall because he tried to climb it. He banged his head on the wall then ran into the other side asking the same question...  
  
"WHY!?"  
  
Misato was away from his room, but she could her his screams...  
  
"Shinji-kun..." She whispered, standing right outside. She leaned on the wall then dropped to her bottom. She could feel his anger and rage. She hugged her knees as she listened. Her hands trembled each time se heard him hit the wall. She could picture him in that state through that door she was standing in front of.  
  
"RAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"  
  
His eyes had already turned red with fury. He could not control it. His screams were now not because of sorrow.  
  
"RAAAAAARGGGHHH!!!!!"  
  
They were of power.  
  
"WWWHHHHAAAAATTTTTTT!!!????" He screamed, looking at his plams. He could no longer feel any pain as he look at his bloodied appendages. The sight drove him into another fit. He wiped his hands on his face and let out another howl.  
  
"A full moon." Misato noticed, trying to explain the roars she was now hearing. Her huugedher knees even more tighter when she heard Shinji hit the door. She could feel his fists hit the door with such force Misato started to wonder where he was getting all that strength.  
  
"Haaaaaaaaahhhhhhh..."  
  
His body started to weaken. Once again his system started to succumb to the venom. He quickly felt his strength fading as he continued punching the wall. His punches grew weaker and his sight started to dim.  
  
"Haaaaahhhh..." He then gasped, feeling his body turn off. He began to loose his balance. He put all his effort into one motion and slammed himself against the wall. There, he lost all consciousness and fell to the floor.  
  
"Poor Ikari." Misato said, leaning on his door, listneing to him breathe. After a while of staying like that, she left the place and went to bed herself. After all, it was already too much of a day. (Even though it was still around five in the afternoon)  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"Shinji?!"  
  
"SHINJI!"  
  
"AAAAArfgfmnsdbfkausgfaksndgbkau..."  
  
Shinji woke up to Misato's voice, urging him to get up.  
  
"I'm UP!" He replied, standing up.  
  
It was a Monday morning and he had school. Another day of boring old school. Another day os seeing Asuka...  
  
"I feel GOOD!" He suddenly exclaimed, feeling a new burst of freshness. He wasn't lying to himself. He was really feeling something new. He felt new power in his battered knuckles.  
  
His room was an utter mess though.  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"Sihnji are you alright?"  
  
Shinji took a look in the mirror, he felt disappointed to find nothing new with him. He looked the same, but he felt totally different.  
  
"I-I'm fine. Just fine." He answered back. He dressed up and opened the door.  
  
Crash  
  
Shinji was now in front of his room, looking at the door hanging from only one hinge. It surprised him a bit.  
  
"I just pushed it..."  
  
"Hmmmmm... must have been from last night." He figured, going on with his morning routine. It was all still the same, according to him. He was feeling alright. As he reached the dining table, he was shocked at what happened to him.  
  
"GOOOOOOOD MORNING IKARI-KUN!" A smiling Misato greeted. She gave him a big hug and then gave him a good noogie.  
  
"Cut that out." Shinji retorted. But it was strange to him. For him, noogies were always painful. This one wasn't.  
  
(Maybe she's just being nice to me) He thought. He playfully swung Misato's arm off him...  
  
"Ouch! You don't have to be mad at me too?!" Misato fired, rubbing her arm.  
  
"You got hurt?" Shinji asked, utterly oblivious to what happened.  
  
"But I just swung your arm, did it hit something?"  
  
"Errr... no, you swung it too hard."  
  
(WAIT! THE DRUG!)  
  
"Errr... It's ok!" Misato said, giggling afterwards.  
  
"Awwww... she made me breakfast! Thanks 'auntie'."  
  
"Teeeehhihihihihihihi... Just take a seat and eat bud." Misato ordered, gesturing Shinji to do as he was told. When he was already sitting, Misato filled his plate.  
  
"Here, just eat." She said, leaving him.  
  
There he sat, alone. He was in front of a pile of food he didn't cook and he was feeling much better know.  
  
"I'm not hungry..." He said to himself, reminding himself that it was Misato aho cooked.  
  
Meanwhile, Misato was alone in the other room, thinking.  
  
"He had a heavy dose yesterday." She said to herself, scratching her head.  
  
"I already know the effects of three-fourths of a pill."  
  
"But what about nine pills?" She asked herself, scratching her butt. She stood silent for a few minutes, thinking of an experiment. After a while, she gave up.  
  
"Argh!" She scowled, going back to Shinji. When she came, he was gone.  
  
"Waaah!" She panicked. She quickly rushed to the door of the apartment.  
  
"Shinji wait!" She shouted, seeing him about to leave. He was about ten meters away from her. He still heard her so he turned back.  
  
"Shinji! You forgot your lu-AAAAAAAAHHH!"Misato screamed as she slipped. It was a really bad slip. So bad was the slip that it was enogh to make her airbourne with her head pointing to the hard floor.  
  
"AAAAAHHHH!!!" She shouted. Shinji saw it. He felt a sudden fear and a surge of something wierd in him. He reacted to instinct and started to dash towards Misato. It was ten meters and still he thought of saving her. Her flip was so fast that Shinji had second thoughts. His feet went in motion in a split second, he left everything to fate.  
  
Toing  
  
Her eyes were then closed. It was about a second she was in the air and now she was in Shinji's arms. She curled up into a ball, not noticing she was already safe.  
  
"Major..." He said, trying to get her attention.  
  
"WAH!" She yelped, finding her current disposition.  
  
(Woah)  
  
"Great reflexes!"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"That was about nine or ten meters!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
(Shit! Could it BE?)  
  
"Amazing! You..."  
  
"You can carry me!"  
  
"Woah!" Shinji exclaimed, dropping Misato.  
  
"Shit!" Misato exclaimed as well, landing on her bottom.  
  
"Sorry... well, I'm off to school!" Shinji bade goodbye, leaving a stunned Misato.  
  
"He dashe ten meters with great speed..."  
  
"He caught me with uncanny precision..."  
"He lifted me with unhuman strength!" Misato said, taking note of every detail. Carefully she placed the facts before her and analyzed. She scratched her head as she connected the dots.  
  
"Three-fourths makes him a gentle man..."  
  
"Now he is capable high speeds in seconds!"  
  
"He can also endure weights greater than himself..." Misato said, getting on the edge of her seat. The thought was in her head, she just couldn't say it.  
  
"Oh shit, that is sooooo cool."  
  
End of chapter 5  
  
Reviewer's note:  
  
Heya! Errr... sorry about the wrong advertising issue. But please bear with me. I am nearing the part wherein Rei comes. Please be patient to wait and read on... I assure you... I said this is a rei/Shinji fic and it IS going to be one... Please bear with me. I would never bribe anyone to read my fic just because I said it's a Rei/Shinji fic. I have only your satisfaction in mind as I make this fic. I am really sorry to those I have offended by this ... but please read on and keep the reviews coming. They help me a lot! 


	7. Blank Canvass

Chapter 6: The Blank Canvass  
  
He strut his stuff as he walked to school. He felt he could break the pavement with his pinkie. He could walk for hours without a rest in the condition he was in. He couldn't stop his grin as he thought of what was happening to him. It certainly wasn't bad, yet.  
  
"Nothing's new with me." He said to himself, noting his skinny build.  
  
"But I feel I can lift up that bench." He added, looking at the object.  
  
"The wonders a glass of water can do..." He mumbled, widening his smile. He clenched his fists and breathed in. He had never felt so good. It seemed as if...  
  
"Yesterday..." He sighed, recalling the exchange that took place yesterday morning. His grip tightened but he didn't feel it. His anger swelled up once again within him. His eyes grew small as he remembered the harsh words spoken to him. The new power he felt amplified his anger tenfold as her stomped his foot on the next step he took. He could feel his blood rush through his arms, making him stronger.  
  
It seemed as if that night had washed away...  
  
"I feel clean." He said, breathing in deeply. He had nothing more but anger now. His eyes burned with an unseen flame that would scare the wits out of any angel. He grit his teeth as he tried to forget. But the more he tried, the more power he felt. He looked so scary.  
  
"WAAAAAHHHH!!"  
  
"Huh?" He suddenly snapped out. He looked across the street. His ears followed the short and weak cry with uncanny precision. As soon as he heard it, he had found the source.  
  
"WAAAHHH!!" it went again. Shinji was a bit surprised to find that he scared a little kid across the street who happened to see his 'frightening' face.  
  
He regained his calm, but not his weakness. He was still mad.  
  
"Bitch." He chuckled, placing his hands in his pocket. Fists were still clenched as he neared his destination. His smile turned into one of Misato's evil grins. He wasn't thinking of anything else.  
  
"Bitch." He said again, laughing quietly. He imagined himself strangling her. It felt so good. His new strength had wonderful side effects. So confident he walked, he didn't notice...  
  
"Shit!" He exclaimed, closing his zipper.  
  
"SHIT!" He shouted, breaking the zipper off his pants.  
  
"FUCKIN' SHIT!" He yelled, ripping his pants while trying to but the zipper back in...  
  
It happened all of a sudden. The ripping sound hit him. He felt each stitch give in to his strength. The sound rang in his ear. His anger was drowned in despair. This accident stunned him. Not because his underpants were showing, but because it proved his hypothesis. He didn't mind people seeing his stuff now because he was too shocked of his newfound strength. The power that surged throughout him was real. The unending strength that he was mysteriously drenched in was verified. He fell on his knees, eyes wide open.  
  
"Noooo..." He muttered in loss. He stared at his shaking hands. It came as such a shock. He wanted to give in to the sudden regret he started to feel as he remembered his pants.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"  
  
And thus he learned.  
  
"MY PANTS!"  
  
With great power...  
  
"Noooooooooo..."  
  
Comes great responsibility.  
  
It was a good thing he didn't walk too far from home. It took only a few minutes for him to get back where he was.  
  
In new pants.  
  
He started taking care of his actions. He kept his dangerous hands in his pocket. Even in that condition, he didn't move his hands so much. He kept a stiff control unto the tip of his fingers.  
He started wondering where he was getting all this strength. It was also then he started to feel a new persona taking over him. He could feel his strengthening taste in heavy music. His masculinity rising, he took a first.  
  
He spat.  
  
"AW SHIT!" He scowled, wiping his unfortunate shoe. Nevertheless, he felt good. As he took steps towards school, his mind went into action thinking what to do with this curse.  
  
"I could kill someone." He said, gripping the pen he had inside his pockets. His grin came back. His eyes glared with an obvious intent of doing harm upon someone. He could now see other people and secretly look down upon them. His strength changed his perspective. He felt he was superior.  
  
"Excuse me." He politely said as he passed through some students. He retained his gentleman mood although he thought he could smack their faces at the slightest resistance. It was a bit confusing situation for him, really.  
  
He entered his classroom quiet, selfish about his new abilities. He took his seat and looked out through the window. Still, he was thinking about what to do with this new persona he had. He stared at the sky, breathing deeply...  
  
He felt calm as he watched the clouds pass. His expressionless face was now showing a small smile of contentment. His eyes blankly stared into space as he gently (very very very very gently) tapped his fingers on his desk. He started thinking happy thoughts.  
  
He sighed.  
  
It felt so good. It seemed as if nothing happened to him just yesterday. That event, by the way he had totally forgotten.  
  
But he thought too soon.  
  
There she was.  
  
His senses picked her scent quickly. He was three floors on top of her, and he got perfect sight of the brand of shoes written on the bottom of her footwear. He looked at her walk into the campus. Her steps were graceful. Her arms hung from her shoulders as she held her bag. Her red locks followed the wind as she walked towards the building.  
  
He then felt it again.  
  
It was not the rage in his body. It was not the painful sensations that shot through him last night. It was not the strength he was overflowing with.  
  
It wasn't even the drool dripping out of his hanging jaw.  
  
He so much wanted to deny it. He really wanted to turn away. It was his every intention not to give a damn but....  
  
"Why?" He muttered to himself, feeling the same affection he had held for her ever since. Captivated, he still was. He looked at her with the passion he felt for her. His powers weakened as he forced himself to get mad.  
  
She was everything.  
  
"Bitch." He cussed, giving in.  
  
Who was he kidding?  
  
It was damn obvious that he still wanted her. It was evident that he was still head-over-heels with the mad woman. He shifted his sight to his clear desk.  
  
"This is insane..."  
  
He took out his pencil and gripped it. He then took out a piece of paper.  
  
"I'll apologize." He said to himself. He put his thoughts into his hand and from his hand to his pencil.  
  
The pencil couldn't take his emotions.  
  
"Shit." He exclaimed, tossing away the pencil he had just snapped. Frustrated, he just ran his fingers through his hair and rested his lips on the back of his thumb.  
  
He worshipped her.  
  
He longed for her.  
  
He stared at her figure enter the room. It was like she wasn't the person she was yesterday. Her eyes portrayed happiness, no anger at all. Her smile suggested joy, not contempt.  
  
He kept sacred the ground she walked on.  
  
He muttered sweet thoughts of concern as she walked.  
  
It was disgusting.  
  
He knew that too.  
  
Self-pity overwhelmed him as he found himself helpless against the mere beauty of the woman who ripped his heart out. His sight never left her until...  
  
She looked back.  
  
And sneered.  
  
She was feeling it, every little agonizing second of his pathetic affection for her. It was pure evil. Not the mischief Misato evil, but the wicked demon- bites-dick-and-burns-it-in-hell evil.  
  
She spat on his face.  
  
She is disgusted by the mere thought of him.  
  
She muttered utter evil for him.  
  
It was horrid.  
  
He felt that too.  
  
As much his heart wanted to cry out and burst into tears, he couldn't. His soul cried out for a sanctuary from this hell. He had enough but he couldn't stop taking more spoonfuls. He would have licked a live wire if that would stop him from feeling the way he did.  
  
He knew it was wrong.  
  
But love is twisted.  
  
It knows no boundaries.  
  
"If I could only feel nothing." He whispered. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else. His mind searched for something besides Asuka in his sub-conscious. He ended up giving up and remaining a fish struggling to get a way from the hook that was already in it's mouth.  
  
He wanted so much to forget.  
  
He yearned to let go.  
  
But he couldn't.  
  
Because he loved her.  
  
And it disgusted him.  
  
It made him want to puke.  
  
Fortunately, his powers kept him strong. He sat straight and breathed in. It boosted his confidence minutely. He then looked away and concentrated on something else. He succeeded in doing so, to his relief because of someone else.  
  
"Pilot Ikari."  
  
"Hah?!" he said, turning around to meet whoever it was.  
  
"Your pencil." The person said. Shinji was surprised.  
  
It was Rei. She held in her hands the components of his snapped pencil. She handed them over to him. He was surprised to see Rei coming up to someone without prompting.  
  
"Thanks." He replied, keeping the segments.  
  
Then it happened.  
  
It only happened for a split-second, but it did.  
  
He looked at her.  
  
It was only a glitch. He quickly dismissed it. The thought only passed his mind and vanished just as it came. It twitched his mind unto thinking about something else, even if only for a moment.  
  
"Her face." Me mumbled, just after Rei had left.  
  
It was expressionless.  
  
It was blank.  
  
It was calm.  
  
It only occupied his mind for a while. Think of it as a mere thought in the midst of the sea of attention he had for the red-head. He was back to his self-restraint misery exposure. He then quietly continued to wallow in his sorrow.  
  
Then it happened.  
  
An alarm suddenly rang throughout the place. It was an angel alarm. The three of them stood up while the other students followed the drill.  
  
End of chapter 6 


	8. The Big and Scary

Chapter 7: The Big And Scary...  
  
With great anticipation, Shinji gripped the two handles like he would always do. This time, he had a burning anxiety to find out what he could do now that he had new abilities. He left his imagination to estimate the unknown poential he had now. He wondered what effect would it have on his unit. A rush of adrenaline took over him as he tightened his grip.  
  
"This is it." He said, getting ready for launch.  
  
Misato had the same wave of excitement Shinji was experiencing. The untapped power of his current position sent tingles down her spine. She began to think of the hidden surprises that would come of this combination.  
  
"This is it." She muttered to herself as well.  
  
It was then that Ritsuko called her attention. Something had caught her attention and it would have the attention of the whole place in a while.  
  
"Major." She called, gesturing the purple-head to view the screen. Misato approached with a very curious look on her face. She bent forward as she arrived to look at the screen the doctor was pointing at and the figures astounded her.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"I know. No pulse, synch ratio, readings, and everything!"  
  
"It's like he's not there."  
  
"And yet he is." Ritsuko answered, pointing to the visual on the main screen. He was clearly in the entry plug and was grinning. It was quite obvious to everyone that he had something on his mind, they just didn't know it was that big.  
  
"What's going on? Shinji, you okay there?"  
  
"Never better." He responded, reassuring them that he was live and alive.  
  
"Even now he shows signs..." Misato whispered to herself, placing her fingers on her chin. It was now obvious that something was bound to happen and it would surprise them all.  
  
Asuka on the other hand, was also busy trying to buff herself up.  
  
"Time to show that wuss..." She said, showing an evil smile once again. She took hold of her handles and started visualizing the carnage she would display before Shinji. Up to now she was still thinking of spitting more in the guys' face. Rei on the other hand, was quiet in her little corner, being Rei.  
  
Sounds went off suddenly at NERV when they picked up the visual.  
  
errrr... I'm not really good at making monsters so you'll just have to make do with this... so sorry!  
  
It was a huge potato.  
  
A very large and frightening potato.  
  
With a thousand eyes.  
  
Red eyes.  
  
Very scary red eyes.  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
With tentacles. (hehehehehehe)  
  
It came down with a crash on their calculated spot. Now it was time to check out what the boy had in store for the big and scary potato with a thousand scary red eyes...  
  
And tentacles.  
  
Shinji looked through his comm window to get a look at where he was coming from. They were to be launched from what seemed to be very huge canisters. In other words, they were going to be shot out of a cannon, cord and all.  
  
After a few more minutes of checks and a few whines from Ritsuko to let Shinji stay for some tests, they gave the go signal.  
  
Three openings formed on the huge pyramid quickly and caught the potato-errrr monsters' attention. In a split second, a flash of blue shot out from the left hole thenit closed. It landed in front of the monster and quickly engaged. Tentacles started to swing around as the huge potato unleashe a flurry of whips and thrusts toward unit 00. It was hard to count them at that moment because there were a lot of them going after Rei and even more coming out of the errrrr... spuds. Rei concentrated on her dodging while she thried to figure a way to get near it. It was holding on fairly when Ritsuko pulled Misato by the sleeve.  
  
"What are you thinking?! There is certainly a glitch in his unit and you still want to let him out?!"  
  
"Yep!"  
"Are you insane!?! Checks have to be made first before we send that guy to his doom!"  
  
"No need." Misato said, pulling back her sleeve. Just as she did, she pressed the big green button in front of her and then the other green button beside it.  
  
Those buttons were the launch buttons for EVA units 01 and 02 respectively. Shinjis' mind grabbed hold as he saw the environment move in a sudden flash around him.  
  
"Fuck you!" Asuka shouted, darting through the passage in the hole. When she was in mid-air, she caught sight of unit 01 and gave out a chuckle.  
  
"I'll show you, wuss." She said to herself. She was getting a lot of hang time as she watched Shinjis' unit. They were both airborne when all of a sudden Shinjis' cord got stuck somewhere in the hole. The event shocked everyone and Misato was horror stricken.  
  
"This is too good." Asuka said in glee, watching the foul-up.  
  
Then the cable snapped.  
  
"To hell!" Shinji yelled, and gave a pull.  
  
He vanished.  
  
Asuka was stunned and so was everyone at NERV. Gasps fired throughout controls, and oohs and aaaahhs as they rushed to find out just what the heck happened.  
  
"M-major!"  
  
"What!?"  
  
"H-his battery..." Ritsuko said, shaking. Her fingers pointed at the counter for Shinjis' spare battery.  
  
There were no numbers.  
  
Only an insignia.  
  
A shout came from somewhere. All turned to the counter and the screen. It all happened in a split second. He appeared right in front of the big and scary potato. All of their jaws dropped as they watched in utter astonishment. He just came out of nowhere and there he was, bludgeoning the potato.  
  
It was on a rampage. It tore out and poked it's eyes with lightning speed with strikes coming out from nowhere. It was moving too fast for the cameras to follow. Rei saw this as a chance to get back and catch her breath. Everyone was awe-stricken when all of a sudden...  
  
CRASH  
Unit 02 hit the ground. Asuka was also stunned by the carnage and lost awareness about her surroundings. She practically forgot that she was still airbourne and that caused her to crash. By that time she was now out of commission with her unit's head stuck in the ground like an ostrich. Inside, she was shaking like a baby, muttering things to herself in terror.  
  
"He's going to kill me!" She whispered to herself, looking straight at Unit 01. Her eyes took in the madness in it's red eyes. With each attack she would imagine herself in the place of the big and scary potato. Shivers drove through her spine as she curled up and shivered in fear.  
  
It was pretty much like that through the whole attack. Rei was taken back, Shinji was kicking butt and Asuka was stuck in the ground and every one at NERV was quiet. There was a bit of Rei dodging the monster debri Shinji was scattering all around the place but that was pretty much it. The one thing they all noticed at the end was that it had been clearly past twenty minutes since Shinji cut his cord and he was still there, stepping on all the scattered eyeballs her was throwing around the place a while ago. After the attack, every one was so noisy at NERV. Questions and more questions shot all around and only Misato and Shinji had the answers. NERV had to call a rescue team to pry open Asukas' entry plug because she was still petrified about the incident. Eventually, after a few minutes of screaming and kicking, they got Asuka out and brought her to a temporary isolated chamber where she could shiver and mutter weird things to herslef all she wanted.  
  
Shinji was very pleased as he escaped from NERV. Every one was looking for him and had something to ask him. It was then he was absolutely sure that there was something new about him, he just didn't have any idea that it would be of greater importance to his love life later on.  
  
----------End Of Chapter 7------- 


	9. Looking at the Blank Canvass

Chapter 8: Looking At The Blank Canvass  
  
The next day was a bit different from yesterday. It was weirder but much less violent and there were no giant potatoes wreaking havoc and destruction.  
  
Shinji woke up with a problem. It wasn't his sleep, though.  
  
It was what he slept in.  
  
It was broken. It had cracks all over it. It looked like it was abused for a night. Maybe because that's what happened to it.  
  
"SHIT!"  
  
He stared at the destruction. It was in ruins and all. His bed was totaled like a car sandwiched between the ground and a monster truck. He was speechless as he tried to salvage his torn sheets and squeezed pillowcases that were empty. He walked through broken wood, torn cloth and a lot of feathers as he searched the wreck.  
  
It was then he found what he was looking for.  
  
"Noooo..." He muttered in grief. He sank to his knees as he found his most prized possession. Tears formed in his eye as he tried to stop himself from crying. His hands trembled as he picked up the broken circuitry that lay before his sullen figure. The one thing that had kept him company during his lonely nights of sorrow and despair had been destroyed by himself.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOO!!" He screamed, letting out all that emotion. He raised his hand in the air with his broken SDAT as he yelled.  
  
"IS THIS THE PRICE FOR MY POWERS?! NO!!!!!!!"  
  
He remained like that until he regained his cool and stood up. He wiped his tears with one hand and held the remnants in the other. Yet again this hard lesson had been pressed unto his immature persona.  
  
"With great power... comes great responsibility." He sighed, sniffing in some snot.  
  
On his way to school he had come over his loss. Stronger he had become after this tragic event. He now took his abilities more seriously and started to think of a way to suppress them when he didn't have to use them.  
  
"I recall..." He said, placing the events that had just happened in order.  
  
If you so remember, he went up against the big and scary potato. After that he came home in a hurry to get some sleep. When he woke up the next day, his bed and SDAT (may it rest in peace) were destroyed.  
  
"What was in between?" He asked himself.  
  
He was asleep during the time between he got home and the time he woke up. (duh)  
  
"That's it!" He said, snapping his fingers and startling a few strangers.  
  
His dream was the cause...  
  
"I was bludgeoning Toji because he mocked Asuka!" He then recalled.  
  
"So that's why... I see."  
  
It was then clear to him what to do.  
  
"I must suppress my powers..." He said in high determination. And with that, came the next problem.  
  
"How do I do that?"  
  
In class, as everyone waited for the teacher, he kept on thinking about what to do. His temper was a bad thing, it was very bad. It caused untold danger to him and those around him. It was solely up to him to find a way to tranquilize his anger.  
  
Ideas popped like mushrooms in his head but all of them were bad.  
  
One was to kill Asuka to get it all out and seek eternal redemption thus making him calm always.  
  
"Why would I kill her?"  
  
(Why wouldn't you kill her?! Ehehehehehe... )  
  
Another was to seek a psychiatrist and get anger management classes.  
  
"Can't, that would raise suspicion."  
  
Another one was to lock himself up in solitary confinement for the rest of his life, only get out when there is an angel attack.  
  
"Now that's just plain stupid."  
  
Ideas similar to these were the only plans he could come up with at that time. Frustrated as he was, he could only give up.  
  
His day suddenly brightened when the first good idea entered his mind. It formulated itself the moment Asuka entered the room.  
  
As usual, the disgusting took place.  
  
The same unfair magic Shinji would experience every time he would lay his eyes on the wretch that had smashed his castle would bubble up again. His heart would start racing and his blood would start rushing to his face. The sight of her foxy figure along with the annoying self-confidence she had triggered numerous contractions to the guy. He once again found himself a sucker to this hag.  
  
But it did calm him.  
  
"Shit."  
  
For a while, though.  
  
It would still seem that he was not yet letting go of his feeling for her. It was true that the sight of her would bring him to a place of happiness. Her regrettably beautiful self would calm his nerves and soothe his soul. Everything about her would occupy his mind and all thoughts of anger would just fade away like they never were there in the first place.  
  
But then he would remember something.  
  
Yes, he would recall how she pulled his gut out and use it to mop the floor. He would remember the warm spit that pelted itself at his face. Her words would echo themselves once again through his memory, shattering all his calm nerves and causing mass chaos in his subconscious. All thoughts of calm, peaceful happiness would then fade away and self-pity would overcome him along with the haunting thought of her calling him a spineless wuss.  
  
Then it all falls apart. He loses control and gives into his dangerous emotions and causes all sorts of destruction.  
  
"Bad idea..." He scowled, tossing away another snapped pencil. He sank into his arms on his desk and just prayed nothing bad would happen to him that would spark his anger.  
  
But something did happen that day, but it wasn't bad. It looked bad at first but then I'll just get to it and tell you...  
  
As he lay in despair and self-pity, Asuka was well in the room and trying to attract attention to herself. She looked at the figure who sat near the window and tried not to at the same time. Terror struck her very mind and thought that it would be very smart to bully someone else.  
  
And she saw Rei.  
  
It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to come up with something to blame Rei for. I mean, come on, she thinks she's perfect for crying out loud!  
  
But anyway, she approached Rei who was picking up something on the floor. As soon as Rei got up, she met eyes with the red-head. They both looked at each other for a while before Asuka started talking.  
  
"What were you doing yesterday?! You call that fighting?!"  
  
"..."  
  
"You useless piece of shit!"  
  
"..."  
  
"Don't you dare ask me what I was doing! That huge monstrosity was trying to squash me! I couldn't get up! What were you doing?!"  
  
"..."  
  
"Hmph. So you do understand." She said. Rei just stood there, looking her in the eye with no hint of emotion. Not one bit of anything at all. There was a real pain-in-the-ass in front of her and she could have easily told her off and embarrassed her, but she didn't. It was so clear in her eyes that she had no intention of talking back, so Asuka took advantage of it.  
  
She was about to take another shot at her when...  
  
Shinji noticed it.  
  
He was watching every second of her bickering but it was only then he noticed what he had disregarded last time.  
  
Her face.  
  
He was looking at Rei's face at that time with an interested stare. Rei didn't notice but Asuka thought Shinji was looking at her.  
  
Asuka quickly backed off, as if she saw a monster (which she thought she did). Rei was left there, standing as if nothing happened. Her face had the same expression as the one she had when Asuka was assaulting her. Her red eyes would just seem as if looking at something that had her attention.  
  
She was blank.  
  
Her eyes showed no sign of anger or anything. As empty as they looked, they did express one thing though...  
  
She was calm...  
  
Very calm...  
  
(I would've kicked Asuka's butt if I was her)  
  
Her said it all.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She was soo...  
  
"Calm..." Shinj muttered to himself. His astonishment had given him a bright idea.  
  
"H-how does she do that?" He asked himself, staring at her eyes. It had his complete attention he didn't notice she was approaching him. He did notice her eyes were coming closer though, but that was it. He kept steady watch at them and was amazed.  
  
"So quiet." He whispered. If the eyes were the window to the soul, then Rei would have to be a corpse. It was the second time he noticed it but it was only now he realized it. So drawn into them, he was. He tried so hard to make something out of the empty stare she had as Asuka was yelling at her, but her eyes said nothing. They told naught of any tale, yet he wanted to talk to them. '  
  
"Pilot Ikari."  
  
"WAH!?" He jolted, stunned to find him staring right at her face.  
  
"Your pencil." She said, handing him the pencil he broke. He took this chance to look at her face that time.  
  
It was empty.  
  
It fascinated him more and more. Her face expressed nothing but empty thoughts of nothingness. The more he found nothing, the more he thought there was.  
  
"H-how?"  
  
"..."  
  
"How do you do it?"  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
He hesitated for he knew it was stupid.  
  
"Look so blank?"  
  
But he went on with it anyway.  
  
"I do not understand..." She replied. Her face made him want to say so much and at the same time made him want to just shut up and look at it. He didn't know what to say but wanted to say something.  
  
Her face now had a very small hint of curiosity as she looked at the guy's confused face.  
  
"H-how can you remain so calm and under control when did that to you?" He asked again. He didn't know he was, but he was looking straight into Rei's eyes. Rei definitely noticed it, but being herself, it didn't bother her. He kept his gaze on her as he waited for an answer. He intently kept his stare for a few moments when she answred.  
  
"I do not care."  
  
"Oh, I see." He said, still looking for something to add to that. Under her queer spell, he was. Rei then left Shinji at his desk, leaving the guy still wondering.  
  
"Her face." He muttered, remembering the sight.  
  
"It was blank."  
  
-----------------End Of Chapter 8---------------- 


	10. An Introduction to Normal Conversation

Chapter 9: An Introduction to Normal Conversation

Hi there guys! I'm so so so so so so so sorry for the very very v ery very late installment! I still had classes and my college applications were brething fire down my neck! Really... I'm so sorry. And in order to appease your diappointment, I have now incorporated a little R/S romance for you guys,mwah! Hope you enjoy. I pwomiz to maintain a more organized writing habit! OK! You go read now! Keep the reviews coming! Your thoughts keep me thinkin' and writin'!

Chapter 9: An Introduction to Normal Conversation

The whole class remined silent for a few minutes before their instructor came. A lecture progressed as Shinji looked out the window. His vision unfolded a busy scholl ground. People were walking about the place in a myriad of directions. With his newfound supreme strength, he felt as if he could easily squash the innocent pedestrians walking about.

To be quite frank, Shinji was still encountering strange new phenomenon within him. New manly urges have suddenly introduced themselves to him, bringing about a more masculine persona in the viagra-induced superhero.

Shijni proved his newfound manhood by picking his nose. It was an honest spur of the moment thing, he didn't even notice it was the first time he did something like that. He brought the piece of human anatomy before his vision, examining it. After a few seconds of looking at it, he started to sandwich the thing between his index finger and his thumb. He then started to form the collected booger into a minute ball of grossness.

"Where to put it..." He wondered.

After a few seconds, he suddenly flicked the small ball in a random direction.

BLOG

Just as soon as he flicked it, a walking man suddenly fell flat on his face. It seemed as if he was hit by something in the face. His impact made a loud noise, which captured the attention of the nearby school building.

Everyone in class was surprised by this sudden sound and they all stood to tool out the window except Asuka. Shinji was also flabergasted at what happened, knowing that it was his fault. He looked at his fingers with glee as he had discovered a new pastime for himself.

The event didn't take up much time. As soon as they stood up, the instructor had them all seated back.. As the lecture resumed, Shinji wlaso resumed thinking about whatever it was he was thinking about.

"How does she do it?" He said to himself, staring out to the open, it was blatantly obvious that he wasn't paing any attention to the alarmed man approaching him.

"Ikari!"

"WAH!"

Flatfooted, he seemed.

"Would you mind answering me what is half-life?" The instructor requested, giving Shinji a sinister smile. The boy rolled up his pupils in a desperate search of an answer.

(I'll shoot another renegade boogie bullet at this punk) He thought to himself. His mind quickly started to rummage through whatever stuff there was in there.

Then another thing happened.

"Half-life refers to the period it takes radioactive materials to lose half of their original radioactive potency."

"Did I just say that?"

It seemed as if Shinji's viagra accident had not only brought him supernatural strength, but also an amazing IQ. He even surprised himself with it.

Bedazzled, the instructor acknowledged the answer and went back to the lecture. Several heads look back at the overnight genius with perplexed looks on their faces.

The class then finished a few more hours after the incident with the question. Students rushed out of the school in a matter of seconds. Asuka tsayed away from Shinji, motivated by fear. She quickly grabbed her bag and quickly left the place. Shinji remained seated for a few more minutes, as if waiting for something.

Or someone.

"Rei."

The girl just turned around to meet Shinji.

"Can we talk?"

"It is alright." She responded.

The two started walking out of school, engaged in what seemed to be a one-sided converstaion.

"Ummm... about this morning..."

"Something draws your concern from it?"

"Uh, yes. It just got me thinking. You see..."

"You're... different."

"I mean, if I was in your place I'd have slapped her silly."

"My actions were inappropriate?"

"No, no."

"I am vexed."

"Well, it's just that it amazes me how you do it! I know you already answered my question earlier, but it still intrigues me. How do you keep so calm in front of such stressing situations?" He asked, keeping a steady look at her face as they walked down the street. The lok on her face was identically similar to the look she had during the whole day. Shinji had taken that perfectly into account and it just astounded him.

"Were you confused by my previous response?"

"No. I'm just really curious about it.. How do you not care?"

Rei was a bit taken back by this question. No one has ever asked her a question more than once. Neither has anyone ever asked for a deeper and more comprehensive answer from her. Her eyes widened a bit, and Shinji saw it.

"I'm sorry, did I offend you?" He suddenly asked. He too was experiencing something. His mind was now syddenly aware of anything he gave slight focus to. He found himself talking to himself while he listened to her short replies. A whole new world was opened to him. He was even psychologically analyzing Rei's answers.

The fact that Shinji noticed this quirk added to Rei's surprise. She was completely caught off-guard by this gesture.

No one had ever apologized to her.

"N-no." She answered. This sudden attack had her mind on the run. She now didn't have a clue what to say, which was another first for her. Thoughts then started shooting into her, causing her to think all sorts of things.

"Are you alright?" Shinji asked, which was brought about by his sudden concern for Rei's sudden shocked look.

"Y-yes, I-I am alright."

Surprised, she was by this. Only now in her life had she been treated this kind of way.

Suddenly, a warm feeling bubbled up within her. It was only a small dose. The look on her face changed as more thoughts went through her.

"This doesn't look like a good time to be talking isn't it? You seem troubled. What's up?" Shinji asked, The viagra drink had also made him a gentleman. In his mind was a clear rule at that time. His attitude had been set right by that drink..

I am with a woman right now, act proper.

"Rei?"

"Huh?"

With a last blast of willpower, she mustered all her brainpower to come up with am answer.

"May we talk some other time, pilt Ikari?"

"Oh, ok. Do you have some place to go to?"

"No."

"Why don't I walk you home? I promise I won't talk.."

(How did he know my function is due to his inquiries!)

(How the heck did I know that I was causing her this?)

She was now stunned, but her will was still keeping her sane. She turned to him and looked at him.

And there somwthing else happened.

End of Chapter 9


	11. Two Lonely Apartments

Chapter 10: Two Lonely Apartments

She saw it.

The sight of it brought her more confusion than anything Shinji had ever done to her for the past twenty minutes. It caused her to stop walking in the middle of a stride. Her once blank face had was now slightly changed with the slight widening of her eyes as she caught sight.

It was Shinji's smile.

A gentle and sincere grin that came from the guy's face caused Rei's halt. It was very true that she found herself in such a fix, yet her face still echoed the calmness of a quiet brook.

"What's wrong?" He asked, going right in front of Rei as she stopped. He bent his back a little bit to get a closer look at her face. This gesture put Rei in a more awkward disposition, which likely resulted into her slight stuttering when she answered.

"W-what are th-these i-i-inquiries for, p-p-pilot Ikari?" She blurted out, taking half a step backward, hoping to find breathing room for her mind.

"Hasn't anyone asked you what was wrong with you?"

"Yes, pilot Souryu."

"..."

"No, I meant sincerely. Like what I'm doing right now."

"Was pilot Souryu insincere when she asked me?"

"You couldn't tell?"

"She was emphatic about her inquiry."

"More like angry, don't you think?"

"Y-yes."

"Woops, guess I'm still talking. Come on, enough tatter." He finished, moving out of Rei's way, gesturing her to continue walking.

Nothing was spoken since that. The two children continued walking the distance between them and Rei's apartment, restraining themselves.

(Must be something I said that's making her act this way)

(Home is near)

Their steps made the only sounds that the two of them shared. The more steps they took, the more they wanted to break the ice. It was clear enough that the two of them had an itch that they needed to scratch from the way their eyes would suddenly shift away when they would suddenly meet.

The walk home took the longer than it should because Rei walked slowly as she wrestled with her thoughts and Shinji was trying to keep up with her but they got there. Shinji insisted that he accompany Rei to the very front of her door (you know, being a gentleman and all).

"Thank you, pilot Ikari." Rei said, slightly bowing her head, showing the blank look on her face.

(I do not care) She thought to herself, numbing herself, even when they were walking. She now had a firm stand on her own two feet. She told him she doesn't care and that was what she was going to do.

"Are you okay there?" The man asked.

"Yes, I am." Rei replied, maintaining her blank composure. The stillness of her expressionless face made the place look scary, which wasn't what Shinji experienced.

"Astonishing." He said, shaking his head at the sight.

Rei didn't respond. She turned around and went onto her apartment and closed the door.

"Good evening, pilot Ikari." She said, just before shutting him out.

Left alone in the place, Shinji decided to head home himself. Just before he got a distance away, he found something lying on the ground.

"This must have been Rei's." He said, picking up the handkerchief he had just found. It was plain white. No embroidered name, no drawings, no scent, no picture of some boring cartoon character, no special writing on it.

Just blank.

"Just like her." He muttered to himself, pocketing the find.

He took it out again when he was nearing Misato's apartment, as he was contemplating on what had happened during the day. He stopped for a while, holding the item in his hand. The mere sight of it brought back to him what had happened during the day. The plainness of the handkerchief reminded him of the soothing look on Rei's face. The scentless whiff from the cloth made him think of Rei's colorless expression. The white color of the handkerchief became clearly visible to him despite the weak glow of the streetlight he was beneath. In addition, with the recollection of these thoughts, he once again found himself in astonishment for the owner of the item.

"Just like her." He said to himself once again before resuming his walk.

It took him a few more minutes to get home. As he approached the door, thoughts about what would happen within the next few minutes entered his mind. He was very sure that he would find Asuka in the apartment, watching TV, waiting for Misato to come home. The two of them would have the apartment to themselves for the length of time it took Misato to come home from Karaoke night. He would have to start preparing dinner for the three of them. And Shinji and Asuka would probably be forced into the bottleneck situation wherein the two of them would confront each other...

"What would I do?" He asked himself, raising his hand to turn the knob. Nervousness flooded through his veins as he gripped the handle.

"What will she do?"

Turn.

Open.

* * *

Her tight socks lay on the floor as she lay on her bed still in her school uniform, the blankness still on her face. The memory of that afternoon still fresh in her mind.

"I do not care." She said to herself, enforcing the strict rule she had just placed upon herself. At that point, burning down her apartment still would haven't been enough to put an emotion on her face. Her will was at it's strongest now; nothing could have taken away her attention from paying no attention to anything at that time.

Yet something was still wrong...

"I do not care."

"I do not care."

"I do not care."

I do not care." She kept repeating. The words and their meaning echoed throughout her mind, yet they elicited the adverse effect.

"I do not care."

This repetition had blinded her from the fact that her solid drive not to pay concern to the matter was showing how much it bothered her.

"I do not care."

She rolled on her bed, still saying it.

"I do not care."

It took a while before she realized the stupidity of what she was doing.

"I do not care."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Why has it become difficult?"

After that remark, she took a few minutes of silence on her bed. This time, she made a sincere effort to dismiss the case. She put all her remaining will power to make herself 'not care'.

"Why has this become of so much importance to me?"

"Has this ever happened before?"

A whole lot more things she asked herself...

"Why did he dislodge his collected waste in such a manner?"

"What factor about my attitude elicits such astonishment from him?"

"Why has my welfare become a concern of his?"

"This feeling... I like it."

She placed her hand on her chest.

"It is like, I am treated..."

"Special."

Having failed that last attempt, the first child inhaled and decided to be honest with herself.

"I like it. It is a first, I admit, but I am pleased by it."

Happy, she was after that.

She continued to remain idle upon her bed, savoring the feeling. She tried remembering the scenes that happened, playing them again in herm mind, reminiscing Shinji's smile and his questions. Each time she recalled, the feeling got deeper and deeper.

It was undeniable that she was happy, but STILL her face was blank.

After a few hours of that, the feeling started to become bland. Consequently, Rei found herself feeling something else.

"..."

"..."

"I..."

"I want..."

"I wish to feel more of it."

Within her, she now found a longing for that feeling. Unconsciously, she had discovered a longing for Shinji. She didn't know it yet. At that point, she could only think of one thing.

"That feeling."

"I wish to feel it again."

But how could she?

"It is simple."

How?

"Pilot Ikari has found a certain factor about me astounding."

And?

"And by interrogating me about it, he consequently caused me to feel this way."

Where was she going?

"Thus, I just have to present pilot Ikari with myself and it will occur once again."

Genius.

"It is a plan."

And with that, she went to sleep.

* * *

The door made a slight creaking noise as it gave way to Shinji. His hands were now trembling despite the manliness he had. First his foot, then his upper torso.

Then his head.

"I'm home."

"..."

It was empty. No one was home. The place was dark because the lights were out. The silence of the place suddenly reminded him of someone.

"Hmm..." He said, looking again at the handkerchief.

He turned on the light to make his way to the kitchen. He threw his bag on the couch along the way.

As the blue flame emanated from the stove, he began to form theories as to where Asuka was.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Nothing.

His mind was boggled by something else.

"Rei."

"I must have caught her off-guard today. That was pretty rude of me. But she was just soo... calm."

"I just want to know more about it."

At that time, he had also developed a longing for Rei's habit.

"I have to make it up to her."

"I know!"

How?

"I won't talk to her tomorrow!"

What!

"That's right. I won't pay any attention to her tomorrow. She deserves to be alone, after all the trouble I put her through today. It would do her some good."

And with that, he continued to watch whatever it was he was cooking.

End of Chapter 10


	12. Sleeper, Dreamer, And Destroyer

Chapter 11: Sleeper, Dreamer, And Destroyer

Shinji woke up the next morning to the sound of frying eggs.

"Major?"

"Yup?"

"You're cooking!"

"Uh huh... what about it?"

"Y-you're not supposed to."

"Who said that? Just take a seat and eat, will you?"

Restrained by the thought of embarrassing Misato, Shinji took a seat and waited for whatever it was Misato was cooking that strangely smelled similar to fried eggs.

"Here you go, cupcake!" She said, placing a plate before Shinji.

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"..."

"..."

"What is this?" Shinji cried out, pointing to the evil-looking entities that lay upon the dish.

"Fried rice!" The purple-head answered, pointing to the bowl beside the plate.

"I know that! But what's THIS?"

"Can't you distinguish fine dining? I borrowed a cook book from Ritsuko, look!"

Cooking For Dolts 

"..."

"..."

"You're joking, right?" Said he with such a bewildered look on his face.

Shinji grabbed the book and flipped through the pages. The book was genuine, all right. The recepies were right and the pictures looked so yummy. He then flipped through to find a picture of whatever it was Misato had just made.

"What did you was this again?"

"Uhhhh... it was called 'eggs'. It's right there."

"THIS!"

The picture did not lie.

"Shocked? Told you I was good for it."

The book showed exactly the same thing that was right before him. The sight of it brought enough grounds for Shinji to at least try the food, but it did not convince him that it was edible.

"..."

"This is good!" He suddenly exlcaimed. Miraculously, the book had effectively improved Misato's poor cooking skills.

The remark added a certain twiknle in her eyes.

"Thank you! You're too sweet!" She said, flashing a puppy-dog smile that had the adverse effect on Shinji.

"The eggs are good. Let's keep it at that." He finished, gobbling away.

He had several more servings of the strange looking dish before he decided to ask about Asuka.

"She told me she was leaving home early. She came home around midnight. She woke up quite early."

"Is that so..."

"Uh huh."

"Well, I'd better get going now."

"Oh. Ok! Take care now!" She said, flashingb another smile.

"Ugh." He remarked in silence, hastening his pace.

Confidently, Shinji marched into the school premises, determined to keep out of Rei's way. There was absolutely no way that Rei would be able to bump into him.

He intended to keep it that way.

Calmly, Rei paced unto school grounds, focused on getting Shinji's attention. There was absolutely no way that Shinji would'nt notice her.

She intended to make it so.

As fate would have it, the two children arrived at school the same time. Each looking out for the other, keeping ready. There was a crowd of people though, which kept them from getting a clear sight of each other. Person after person they dodged, turning their heads at regular intervals; one hoping he doesn't meet the other who was intent on bumping into him.

"So far so good." Shinji said to himself, appreciating his effort.

"He is not to be found." Rei thought, scanning the place.

The two did not see each other until the both of them got into the classroom. Shinji came in first, intent of watching out for Rei. He quickly placed himself on his seat right beside the window and kept his eye on the door from which he came. Rei followed soon after, but she took the door on the other end of the room.

"I wish to surprise him." She said to herself, keeping a poker face. She crept into the room, hoping to find him doing nothing.

"She's never absent." He said to himself, wondering where the heck was Rei.

(He never looks at the door) Rei thought to herself. Her steps she made softly as she approached.

(What should I say?)

(Oh, yes... nothing) She told herself, looking down as she went closer.

Step after step became more and more quiet as Rei forced her feet to float. It was quite obvious that she was brazenly unknowing of the fact that she never forced herself to do anything for someone before.

(Quiet)

And she got there, right behind Shinji's chair.

"Where could she be? Is she alright?" Shinji said to himself. It was quite obvious that he was brazenly unknowing of the fact that the woman he was looking out for was right behind him.

(Go in front of him)

(Get out and look out for her)

Shinji had the initiative to get up and look outside the door. Rei had the inittiative to start walking.

"Oh."

Rei won.

She just stood infront of Shinji (who had just turned around)

Blank.

"..."

(Talk)

"..."

Shinji had to think...

(Shinji you IDIOT! You're in her way!)

"..."

"Sorry." He said, suddenly walking away from Rei.

(Why is he pacing himself away from me?)

(You MORON! How could you not think about the OTHER DOOR!)

"Shit." Hem murmured, walking away.

(Where is the error?) Rei asked herself, still standing. Still blank. She could only look now as Shinji just walked away. Several possible answeres arised in her mind.

(My appraoch was inadequate.)

(Or my presence was too obvious.)

(Or his surprise was greater thatn what I had calculated.)

(I do not know)

Another first.

"..."

"You blew this one." Shinji said, looking out the hallway window (he was now outside the room).

"I sure did." He continued, replying to his own sermon.

"..."

"What to do now?"

"..."

"..."

It was then he started picking his nose again.

He was about to flick it away when he noticed thier instructor was approaching. He quickly disposed of the small ball in between his fingers and rushed inside.

His seat and the immediate area around it was now vacated. He now was able to sit and ease his senses for a while for he was sure that there would be absolutely NO reason for Rei to bump into him during a lecture.

"Safe." He said, seating himself.

Asuka was surprisingly quiet the whole time. She wasn't sleeping, though. She was just quiet.. Shinji had no time to notice it before though. Rei certainly had even less reason to pay mind to the red-head.

The lecture progressed. Shinji did as he usually would and stared out the window. The calmness of the outside sky enlightened him, which also reminded him of his problem.

"Calm..." He whispered. It was then that he started to go back to hinking about how he was going to supress himself.

"Wait."

The drug had given him the ablility to be seized by sudden brain blasts which aslo came as a blast to him.

"Woah... I didn't notice that before."

"Rei..." He said, placing his fingers on his thumb.

For the whole time, Shinji had not done anything destructive. For the whole time, he had not destroyed anything. For the whole time, he was calm.

"..."

For the whole time, he was thinking about Rei.

"Cool. I never knew ignoring her would do the trick." He silently exclaimed to himself.

Rei was surprisingly having a hard time understanding the lecture. It seemed as if her mind was occupied with something else.

(Does he feel negative towards me?)

(Was there something I did not execute? Or not execute properly?)

Maybe it was an understatement... she wasn't paying any attention to the lecture.

The red-head remained as quiet as ever, not daring to take another look at the guy who was staring out the window. Her thouhgts were drenched in fear and her heart was drowned in dread. Silently, in her seat, she started to recall every mean thing she did to the guy who now capable of breaking her spine in between his fingers.

"..."

"..."

Her thoughts were too gory to even think about.

"Shit." She whispered, running her hands through her hair and leaving them there, daydreaming of her doom.

Away from the disillusioned, traumatized loser, Shinji indulged himself in entertaining the idea he had.

"Ignore..."

It was so simple.

"As long as I try to ignore that calm face, I'll be alright." He said to himself, happy with his resolution.

"That calm face..."

calm...

"..."

And with that., he dozed off.

* * *

Whooosh...

The wind brushed through the playground. Shinji found himself standing on the dirt. The sunset illuminated the horizon and colored the sky orange. A feeling of uneasiness came over him as he began wondering why he was there.

"Calm..." He said, looking at the sky. The weakened glow of the setting star brought him a warm feeling and it bubbled right there.

Then a sudden weakening swelled within him. His arms began to grow heavy as well as his legs.

"Ikari..."

"M-major!" Shinji replied, surprised to find the strength to talk.

"..."

Whoooosh...

"Why are you here, major?"

"..."

"..."

"Do you love her?"

"Huh?"

"Do you love her?"

"Wh-who?"

"Souryu..."

"Wh-what!"

The question undoubtedly brought abour more weakness from the man. It was so sudden. Even Asuka spitting on him was less of a surprise than that.

"..."

His mind scrambled for an answer.

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Do you love her?"

"Do I?"

"..."

"..."

Whoosh...

"I still love her."

A sudden gale shot through the place. Dust pelted it's wa around the place and made Shinji cover his eyes.

"M-Misato?"

His eyes scanned the place, but the purple-head was gone.

Then he heard a footstep.

"Ayanami..."

"Wh-what's wrong?"

Not a word came from her. But her face said so much.

"What?"

"..."

"Please tell me, you're scaring me!"

"..."

"TELL ME!"

It was the first time he saw it...

She was about to cry.

"Rei..."

The woman fell to her kness and buried her face in her hands. Her mouth was sealed, yet her sobs were s audible to Shinji as the thoughts that were running in his head.

"Stop..."

"..."

"STOP!"

He couldn't take it. It was murdering him.

"STOP! PLEASE!"

He didn't know what he was feeling, but he was sure it wasn't good. His world was now upside down. It broke his heart to see something as calm as her break down like that.

It was too painful for something as unseemingly fragile as Rei.

All those times he hadn't seen her cry made it more unbearable to him for some unknown reason. He just wanted it to cease and make it better. He wanted to make it better so bad.

"STOP! STOP! STOP!"

It was breaking him in two to see her breaking into two.

"Please!"

He tried to move his feet, but his weakness forbid him to, which made him more helplessly hurt.

Torture.

His arms were numb but his ears weren't.

"STOP!"

He could only stand there, frozen, as Rei was letting go.

"No..."

"NOOOOO!"

His feet started to move. He felt his strength coming back and the feeling seeping back into his arms yet they were still too heavy.

Watching her tore him apart and all he could do was watch. Her figure just lay before him, in agony.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Each sob she made thrusted a knife into his chest and each tear drowned him in despair. Her form etched itself in his mind which slapped him every time he closed his eyes.

"STOP!"

It was then he remembered his power. He clenched his fists and mustered all the power he thought he had left to make one last effort to get to her.

"..."

"REI!"

And there she was, a couple of seats away from him, looking at him. It also surprised him to see his calssmates staring at him with exasperatingly perplexed looks on their faces.

"..."

"..."

"I'm sure you have a perfectly plausible explanation as to why you just broke your desk in Ms. Ayanami's name, Mr. Ikari." The instrycltor said, giving Shinji a look which was a way of saying:

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"

Which was exactly the next thing the instructor said.

"..."

"..."

End Of Chapter 11


	13. Chapter 13

Painting the Canvass

His desk was in shambles yet his fist was splinter free...

Who knew daydreaming could be so dangerous for the drugged wuss?

"I-I-I-I-IIIIII..."

The class waited with eager anticipation for an explanation; all but for one; Langley. Her attention was hoisted to the same thing as everybody else's, but her thoughts were quite different from the general idea which was what on earth was Shinji thinking...

"That could be my face..." she thought to herself...

Regret would be an insufficient term to describe how she felt at that time. If there was a word to express deep regret with a heavy dose of terror, Asuka would have never thought about it. She stared at the wreckage that was the space Shinji was sitting in right beside the window. The broken table painted a slod image of the predicament she might be in if Shinji had come to his senses to see what kind of person she was and use his newfound "gifts" to express to her just how special she was to him. And just like the scared little girl that she was, she muttered a small "mama" to herself whilst hiding her face in one of her books.

On the other hand, another child had her attention on the scene of the wreckage and had similar (but much less magnified) emotions about the incident. Her face did not show shock or surprise. Hers was that of a person who came across a telvesion with the evening news on.

"Is he gravely displeased with me?"

"Was it because my approach generated a greater amount of astonishment than expected?"

"Was he having what they refer to as a bad day?"

The object of everyone's attention found himself in quite a predicament. The most prominent thing that he was hard pressed to think about at the moment was:

"Is she looking?"

His eyes took a quick scan into the class looking at him. He was looking for a girl. He couldn't forget her hair, it was different that anyone else's. He couldn't miss it. He looked for her face in the class, it was too beautiful and familiar for him.

Was she looking at him? Was she mad? Was she worried?

She had her head in a book. But her hair made it all too easy for Shinji to see her.

"She's not looking. Why?"

That whole process took only about three seconds which made it all the more important for Shinji to provide an explanation to the instructor as to why he just busted school equipment in the name of the girl who was looking at his back, counting the things she could have done wrong.

(Think, bitch)

It had to be cool, so that Langley wouldnt think him a loser. It had to be sensible, so as not to throw off Rei. It had to be believable, so that the instructor wouldnt suspect.

"CONSTIPATION!" he yelled, twisting his face to project the condition.

"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling too well. I remember Rei brings a medicine kit with something for loose bowels."

Cool? Sensible? Believable?

Langley sneered in her book but kept her eyes away from his. Shinji sighed and looked for her eyes. Rei did nothing.

"Pilot Ikari is, constipated? That must be it." She said to herself, feeling a bit of a new emotion; relief. He didn't break his table because he dreamt of her being hurt, he broke it from pain and inconvenience of having to hold in his bowels and he needed her medicine.

The blue-haired child silently went to her things and produced a small kit. Who knew she really had something for the bad tummy?

It was during that time that Rei had given up all hope to bother Shinji at that time. She would never cause anyone else discomfort just for her own personal desires. Even if that was the very first desire she had experienced. her nature had forced her to forget about getting Shinji to smile for her. She began to think how ridiculous it was of her to scheme without anyone knowing just to elicit something from a peer. She then felt queesy about being in the same room as her pilot Ikari. A small sense of shame came unto her and then another emotion crept into her which made her somewhat uncomfpratble; vulnerable.

Shinji saw the gesture being made for him and started to walk slowly towards the girl with the kit in her hands, but his mind was on the girl who hid herself from him. Shrugging the questions in his mind, he made slowly towards Rei and shifted his sight towards hus unlikely accomplice. the whole class followed each step he took towards Ayanami with anticipation the way people gawk at pandas who give birth at the zoo.

"Senseless." She said to herself, thinking of the way she had been acting the whole morning.

"Saved." He said to himself, thinking of the excuse he just made.

Those steps seemed to have taken forever.

"Thank you."

And there it happened once again.

He smiled at her.

That influx of emotions a teenager gets when his dad buys him a car on his birthday despite him expecting something smaller rushed right through the child. In her mind her plan had failed; but there was her goal right in front of her/

His smile.

It was just the same as before. None of his teeth went missing nor did he forget to brush them. His eyes, hair, lips and face all there in the exact way she had that same feeling she thought about the night before was buzzing right inside her like a bee in the midst of a beautiful garden.

Senseless?

Indeed she had become. Forgotten bacame those feelings of shame and vulnerability which Rei didn't know what they were in the first place. Gone were the anxieties she started harboring towards herself the whole time it took Shinji to take the pills from her.

Being who she was, Rei kept calm as part f her nature. The turmoil inside her did nothing to affect the way she looked at Shinji as he took the small blue box in her hands.

The oblivious child went on with the box in his hands and excused himself from class. Each eye followed each step until Ikari was no longer inside the room. As soon as the had left, the class resumed as if there wasn't a broken desk beside the window. The instructor continued with his lesson and the class went on with what they were doing. A certain red-head noticed the exit of the boy and took a sigh of relief and went back to being her abnoxious self. The thoughts of her imminent doom had seemed to have dissolved as soon as she started thinking of herself.

The blue-head took her seat onece again and started contemplating the sudden shattering of her resolve a few moments ago. She didnt think he would smile again. She didnt think she was going to get what she wanted. She didnt think he would make her feel this way again.

All so new to her. As poignantly painful it was for her to have her expectations shattered by his destroying the table to her having her defenses washed off with his smile, she handled herself quite well. Her left hand she placed neatly on the desk while her chin rested on her right hand. Like the swarm of lanterns on the rivers during festivals, questions popped into her mind.

"What had taken place?"

"What had I executed?"

"Why was it successful?"

"Why was he constipated?"

But nevertheless, despite the immense amount of thinking that had to be done, the fact was there, as plain as the remnants of the desk Shinji had left...

She liked it.

It felt good.

That warmth and sincerity she had seen from him the other night had just been shown to her moments ago and she was delighted about it.

What now?

------------------------------

Outside the classroom, the boy had made his careful way to the restroom to collect himself and assess what had just happened. His steps he counted as well as the seconds he saw Langley not giving a shit about what he did to his desk.

"Did I scare her?"

"Did I gross her out?"

"What does she think of me?"

Oh yes, that he knew so very well. He recalled the time she spat on his face. He recalled the words she let rip unto his face. He reminisced that contemptuous look on her face as she ripped out his heart and fed it to penpen. He saw her face in his mind as he was walking...

which was reason for him not to see what he was doing infront of the restroom mirror.

Each time he ran it through his mind, the feeling of self-pity just kept growing and growing as if wanting to be let out.

He then recalled what it was he was thinking about before he broke his desk. He remembered what ran into his mind and what caused him to lose control.

It was Rei.

Was it really?

The sight of her sadness in his mind seemed to have reached out deeper than when Asuka manually gorged his feelings out. The look on her face as he talked about Asuka sent pains down his spine the way fingernails grinded against a blackboard.

Why did it hurt him so much?

As soon as he opened his eyes, the sink was bent over and a small pond was forming at his feet. This wasnt much of a surprise to him as much as realizing that Rei had a lot to do with what he was experiencing now. And like with any other laboratory test, one had to determine the dependent and indpendent variables.

Shinji had seemed to figure that out.

It was then that he heard something from within one of the cubicles. It was a thud as if something fell from where it was placed. Heightened senses urged him to select the cubilced from which the sound had come from.

"What the fuck are you doing here???" He yelled, pointing a wild finger at the man he found hiding in the cublicle with an espionage device in his clutches.

"Well... guess you found me. I told that purple bitch the bathroom was a bad idea." said the man.

"Ok, what does she have to do with this?"

"Oh, she just wanted me to watch you without raising any suspicion." Kaji replied, fixing himself up from his crouched position.

"Why would she want to have me watched?" Shinji asked with peaked interest. Something must be going on and it most certainly involved him.

"Uhhhhh... She thought... Uhhhhh... LOOK! A THOUSAND YEN!"

And with the slickness that only compared to his remark, Kaji made a run for it as soon as Shinji looked down. Bewildered, Shinji stood by the empty cubicle only with a single question in his head...

"How did he pull that off?"

Disregarding the incident, Shinji readied himself to leave the restroom. It just so happened that classes had just ended and the students were all abuzz to head for their homes. Shinji quickly returned to the classroom where he left his things and then headed for the exit.

The day had taken quite a toll on Shinji's reasoning. There were plenty of things he wanted to obtain answers for but he didn't know who to ask.

He hurried out of school in an effort to get home early to ask Misato what was going one, he indeed had a lot on his mind that he wanted to get off.

Why did you have Kaji spy on me?

Why did I wreck that desk?

What was it with Rei that got him so riled up as class?

What does Langley think of me?

How do I get a firm grip on these abilities?

Why is Rei standing by my shoe locker?

---------------------------------------------

Kay I know its been A WHILE since the last chapter so Im REALLY SORRY about that... dont worry... Ive got my life back on track and im sober and twisted enough to get back on that horse... This chapter is a bit slow for the mean time, I wanna take a few steps back before I plunge into the deeper things... Really sorry... The next instalments are going to be more frequent...


End file.
